Elon Musk's X has suspended 800 million accounts over a 12-month period as it contends with what it describes as a 'massive' scale of attempts to manipulate the platform. The social media company told MPs it is continually fighting state-backed efforts to hijack the agenda on its network, with Russia identified as the most prolific state actor, followed by Iran and China.
Wifredo Fernández, a government affairs executive at X Corp, the platform's parent company, told the Foreign Affairs Committee via video link on Monday that there are 'efforts every single day to create inauthentic networks of accounts'. He added that attempts to manipulate the platform or flood it with spam had not subsided, and 'several hundred million accounts' had been taken down in the latter part of last year as well.
X defines manipulative accounts as those engaging in 'bulk, aggressive or disruptive activity that misleads others and/or disrupts their experience', while spam refers to 'unsolicited, repeated actions' that affect other accounts. Fernández said Russia sought to undermine the 2024 US presidential election and 'stoke division', with a large number of accounts attempting to 'flood the zone' with a 'particular type of narrative'.
The platform, which has approximately 300 million monthly users worldwide, has faced criticism for its approach to content moderation since Musk's acquisition in 2022. In the UK, it helped spread inflammatory speculation after the Southport stabbings. Spam accounts have been a particular concern for Musk, who cited authenticity issues as a reason for attempting to back out of the takeover before ultimately completing the deal.
