X has suspended more than 13,000 accounts tied to three suspected foreign influence operations linked to Iran, Russia, and China. With the US midterms approaching, the platform said the fake X accounts were trying to shape political debate in the United States. The crackdown came one week after OpenAI announced it had disrupted two similar influence campaigns from Russia and Iran.
The company announced the suspensions on Wednesday while outlining its plans for the November 3 US midterm elections. According to X, its investigations found that the networks used fake accounts to publish and amplify political content aimed at candidates and public figures “across the political spectrum.”
Fake X Accounts Targeted Candidates Across Party Lines
X said it detected the accounts through “proactive sweeps and investigations” carried out under its rules against spam and coordinated inauthentic behaviour.
In a statement on the suspensions, X Global Government Affairs said: “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.”
Along with removing the fake X accounts, the platform set out its rules for the US midterms. These rules ban misleading information about how, when, or where to vote. They also cover attempts to suppress voter turnout and acts of voter intimidation, including calls for violence near polling stations.
Users who come across questionable election-related posts can report them through the “civic integrity” option and request a community note that adds context. In urgent cases, X said it may also label posts that break its election rules.
OpenAI’s Recent Action and X’s Earlier Crackdowns
X’s announcement followed a similar move by OpenAI a week earlier. OpenAI said it had shut down two alleged influence operations from Russia and Iran that used ChatGPT to create fake journalist personas. One of the operations also ran a “think-tank” that covertly spread anti-Ukraine propaganda.
This is not the first time the platform has acted against suspected foreign networks. In 2021, Twitter, as X was then known, said it had suspended 238 accounts purportedly operating from Iran.
The latest suspensions are much larger than that earlier action. The actions by X and OpenAI also show that foreign influence efforts are now spread across several technology platforms, from social media networks to AI tools, as the US midterms draw closer.
