X suspends 13,000 accounts, alleging foreign influence ahead of US midterms

In practice, the social media platform X has suspended more than 13, 000 accounts related to three suspected foreign influence operations linked to Iran, Russia and China that sought to shape the political debate in the United States.

Key points

• The firm unveiled the suspensions on Wednesday as it outlined measures ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.
• Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and we are proud that X is the global town square where these debates happen.
• The firm stated users can report election-related posts through the "civic integrity" option to request a community note providing context.
• X remarked its investigations identified the networks applied fake accounts to post and amplify political content targeting candidates and public figures "across the political spectrum".
• The firm stated it identified the accounts through "proactive sweeps and investigations" under its rules against spam and coordinated inauthentic behaviour.

Notably, the firm unveiled the suspensions on Wednesday as it outlined measures ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.

In practice, the firm stated it identified the accounts through "proactive sweeps and investigations" under its rules against spam and coordinated inauthentic behaviour.

"Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and we are proud that X is the global town square where these debates happen. Our job is to keep that conversation authentic, open, and safe, " X Global Administration Affairs stated in announcing the suspensions.

When or where to vote in the US midterms, as well as attempts to suppress turnout and voter intimidation, including calls for violence near polling stations, x additionally outlined rules against misleading information regarding how.

Notably, the firm stated users can report election-related posts through the "civic integrity" option to request a community note providing context. In urgent cases, X may additionally apply labels to posts that violate its election rules in cases requiring attention, the platform stated.

Notably, the announcement comes a week after OpenAI remarked it had shut down two alleged influence operations from Russia and Iran that employed ChatGPT to push fake journalist personas and run a "think-tank" that covertly spread anti-Ukraine propaganda.

X has previously acted against suspected foreign influence networks. As X was then known, remarked it had suspended 238 accounts purportedly operating from Iran, in 2021, Twitter.

For now, x suspends 13, 000 accounts, alleging foreign influence ahead of US midterms remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.