X suspends 13,000 accounts for alleged foreign influence ahead of midterms

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 13:58 · Archive

X has suspended over 13,000 accounts linked to suspected foreign influence operations from Iran, Russia and China ahead of US midterm elections.

X has suspended more than 13,000 accounts allegedly involved in foreign influence operations linked to Iran, Russia and China ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections. The platform said it identified the accounts through 'proactive sweeps and investigations' under its rules against spam and coordinated inauthentic behaviour. The networks used fake accounts to post and amplify political content targeting candidates and public figures 'across the political spectrum'.

X announced several measures to protect the integrity of the midterm elections. The platform introduced rules against misleading information regarding how, when or where to vote, as well as attempts to suppress voter turnout and voter intimidation, including calls for violence near polling stations. Users can report election-related posts through the 'civic integrity' option to request a community note providing context, and X may apply labels to posts that violate its election rules in urgent cases.

The Register notes that X has provided no public evidence for its attribution of the operations to the three countries. X has previously acted against suspected foreign influence networks: in 2021, Twitter, as the platform was then known, said it had suspended 238 accounts purportedly operating from Iran.

How it is being reported

• X purges 13,000 accounts linked to suspected meddling ahead of US midtermsPlatform points to Iran, Russia, and China but provides no public evidence for attributionThe Register · 15 Oct, 13:45
• X suspends 13,000 accounts, alleging foreign influence ahead of US midtermsThe social platform says networks targeted US political debate across the spectrum ahead of midterm elections.Al Jazeera · 15 Oct, 05:15

In this story: X · Iran · Russia · China · United States

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