Elon Musk’s platform X, previously known as Twitter, has come under scrutiny after it was revealed that entities on the United States’ no-trade list, including recognized terrorist organizations, received premium subscription features. Investigative work by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) revealed that X had issued coveted blue verification marks to accounts linked to Hezbollah and others.
For a monthly fee of $8, users could purchase a tick that would enable extended posts and elevated visibility on the platform.
X acted swiftly to revoke some of the blue ticks following the TTP’s report, claiming that their security measures were “comprehensive,” despite the emerging controversy.
Musk’s shift to a paid verification model was among his most debated decisions post-acquisition of Twitter in 2022. Detractors argued that selling the blue check mark, previously a symbol of authenticated identity, could exacerbate misinformation issues and welcome a tide of impersonators.
The check marks were at no cost, signifying that Twitter had validated the account holder’s identity, typically journalists, celebrities, and world leaders.
With some of these marks going to individuals under US sanctions, X has faced significant backlash for potentially violating sanction laws and enabling voices that may not align with US national security interests.
The new pay-to-verify system raises fresh legal concerns, according to the TTP. Following the publication of its findings, X promptly removed the blue marks from the highlighted accounts.
The TTP also noted that the group Ansar Allah, commonly known as the Houthis—a sanctioned group in both the US and UK—seemed to have utilized the paid verification for their account, which promptly lost its mark post-report.
The TTP report highlighted an incident where an account carrying the name and likeness of Hezbollah’s secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah received the blue mark, flagged as ‘ID verified’ under X’s premium services designed to deter impersonation. This added layer of verification requires user ID and a personal photo, yet it’s not clear if Nasrallah’s account underwent this vetting process.
X publicly defended its subscription validation, emphasizing compliance with legal standards and a thorough review from independent payment providers.
While X acknowledged that some accounts mentioned by TTP weren’t explicitly identified on sanction lists, and others bore the verification mark without availing services subject to sanctions, they promised to “take action if necessary” after examining the unearthed details by the TTP.
The TTP countered this, pointing out that even if some accounts weren’t directly sanctioned, they were associated with sanctioned entities.
TTP Director Katie Paul commented to the New York Times that this situation suggests that X has potentially lost command of its platform regulation.
Visionary business magnate Elon Musk, the force behind X and Tesla and a stalwart of free speech, has likened the social media platform to a public “town square,” while also vowing to eradicate illegal content.
Since Musk’s takeover, certain moves have ignited controversy, such as the reversal of rapper Kanye West’s ban in 2023 following a series of offensive and antisemitic posts.
TTP’s scrutiny of the subscribers uncovered others like NTV, a Russian state-run channel, at a time when US