X Suspends 13,000 Accounts Linked to Foreign Influence Operations
X suspended over 13,000 accounts linked to China, Russia, and Iran to prevent foreign interference in the November 3 US midterm elections.
The social media platform X suspended more than 13,000 accounts on October 14 after identifying three suspected foreign influence operations linked to China, Russia, and Iran. The company stated these networks used fake accounts to amplify political content targeting candidates and public figures across the political spectrum to shape the debate ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.
X's safety team discovered the accounts through proactive sweeps and investigations into spam and coordinated inauthentic behavior. While the platform did not release specific evidence linking the accounts to government agencies or provide a breakdown of accounts per country, it introduced new safeguards against voter intimidation and misleading voting information. Users can now report election-related posts via a civic integrity option to request community notes or labels.
This action follows a similar disruption by OpenAI, which shut down Russian and Iranian operations that used ChatGPT to spread anti-Ukraine propaganda through fake journalist personas. Separately, the United States Department of Justice announced charges against 16 individuals for illegal voting and fraudulent registration on October 12. While the Justice Department declined to confirm or deny specific investigations into the X suspensions, it maintained its commitment to deterring foreign influence in American elections.
