Report that X (formerly Twitter) was selling blue checkmarks to terrorists



The Tech Transparency Project (TTP), an IT industry monitoring group, has released an investigation report stating that ``X (formerly Twitter) sells blue checkmarks to terrorist organizations including Hezbollah .''

TTP - X Provides Premium Perks to Hezbollah, Other US-Sanctioned Groups
https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/x-provides-premium-perks-to-hezbollah-other-us-sanctioned-groups



Musk's X sold checkmarks to Hezbollah and other terrorist groups, report says | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/02/musks-x-sold-checkmarks-to-hezbollah-and-other-terrorist-groups-report-says/

Terrorists Are Paying for Check Marks on X, Report Says - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/14/technology/terrorists-check-marks-x-report.html

Terrorists are allegedly buying blue checks on X - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/14/24073146/x-twitter-blue-check-hezbollah-terrorist-groups-sanctions

X let terrorist groups pay for verification, report says
https://www.engadget.com/x-let-terrorist-groups-pay-for-verification-report-says-201254824.html

Twitter accused of violating US sanctions by selling subscriptions to terrorist groups - Boing Boing X accused of selling blue checks to terrorists
https://boingboing.net/2024/02/14/twitter-accused-of-violating-us-sanctions-by-selling-subscriptions-to-terrorist-groups.html

X offers X Premium as a paid subscription service, and X Premium subscribers' accounts will be marked with a blue checkmark. It has been revealed that X was selling X Premium to members and leaders of terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the US government. In addition, American companies are prohibited from doing economic transactions with people and organizations on the country's sanctions list. In addition, X's policy explicitly prohibits persons and organizations sanctioned in the United States from purchasing X Premium.

The details of the ``X account with a check mark operated by a terrorist organization'' discovered by TTP are as follows.

・Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's account has more than 93,000 followers and is marked with a blue checkmark. This means the account owner has provided government-issued identification to X.
・Accounts for Iran's state-run news agency Press TV and Russia's Tinkoff Bank are marked with gold checkmarks . Press TV and Tinkoff Bank are subject to sanctions by the US government. In addition, at the stage when the investigation by TTP was conducted, a monthly fee of 1000 dollars (approximately 150,000 yen) is required to obtain a golden check mark.
・The account of Al-Saadi Gaddafi, the son of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, also received a blue checkmark.
・Although it is not officially designated as a terrorist organization in the United States, an account operated by Yemen's Houthi group Ansarallah has also received a check mark.



X

returns a portion of advertising revenue to X premium subscribers, but it has been confirmed that advertisements were also posted in the reply section of accounts operated by terrorists. It has been pointed out that they may be receiving profits.



TTP points out that since Elon Musk acquired Twitter and began selling blue checkmarks to the general public , the account verification process by X has become almost non-existent.

On the other hand, Safety, which is one of X's official accounts and makes announcements regarding the safety of the service, says, ``X complies with its legal obligations and, along with independent reviews by payment providers, provides robust and secure monetization features. Some of the accounts on the TTP's published list are not directly named on the sanctions list, while others do not receive sanctioned services. You may see a checkmark in your account. Our team will review your TTP report and take action if necessary. We will maintain a safe, secure, and compliant platform at all times. 'We are working on the issue,' he wrote, saying he would address the issue.




In fact, at the time of writing the article, it has been confirmed that the check mark has been removed from all accounts other than Press TV and Tinkoff Bank.

As for why X has given a checkmark to an account operated by a terrorist organization, TTP said, ``There is a possibility that X gave the checkmark to a terrorist organization for free,'' and ``It is possible that an unrelated third party was impersonating the account.'' ``There is a possibility that X may have obtained the check mark by deceiving X's certification program'', but ``If X conducts financial transactions with terrorist organizations through X Premium subscriptions, it is a violation of US sanctions.'' There is a possibility.'' Foreign media outlet The Verge criticized X's sloppy user authentication process, writing, ``It raises new questions about how closely social media platforms should scrutinize users.''

TTP also pointed out that all of the ``accounts with checkmarks operated by terrorist organizations'' discovered this time did not have checkmarks before Mr. Musk acquired Twitter. As a result, TTP notes that ``X has provided a paid service to the sanctioned person, which may lead to new legal issues.''

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