U.S.-Sanctioned Terrorists Enjoy Premium Boost on X
a year ago
- #National Security
- #Social Media
- #Sanctions
- X (formerly Twitter) provides premium blue checkmark accounts to U.S.-sanctioned terrorists and entities, violating OFAC regulations.
- Sanctioned individuals and groups, including Houthi leaders, Hezbollah founders, and Iraqi militia leaders, have verified accounts with revenue-generating features.
- X's ID verification process confirmed identities of some sanctioned individuals, raising concerns about platform compliance with U.S. sanctions.
- Despite X's policies prohibiting premium services for OFAC-sanctioned entities, multiple accounts retained or reacquired blue checkmarks after suspensions.
- X's monetization features, such as tipping and subscriptions, are accessible to sanctioned entities, potentially facilitating financial transactions barred by U.S. law.
- The platform's enforcement of sanctions appears inconsistent, with some accounts being suspended temporarily before regaining premium status.
- Iranian government-linked accounts also benefit from premium services, despite OFAC restrictions on transactions with Iranian entities.
- X's response to reports of sanctions violations includes temporary removals of checkmarks but fails to implement long-term compliance measures.