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

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.

The company announced the suspensions on Wednesday as it outlined measures ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.

X said its investigations found the networks used fake accounts to post and amplify political content targeting candidates and public figures “across the political spectrum”.

The company said 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 Government Affairs said in announcing the suspensions.

X also outlined rules against misleading information regarding how, 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.

The company said users can report election-related posts through the “civic integrity” option to request a community note providing context. In urgent cases, X may also apply labels to posts that violate its election rules in cases requiring attention, the platform said.

The announcement comes a week after OpenAI said it had shut down two alleged influence operations from Russia and Iran that used 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. In 2021, Twitter, as X was then known, said it had suspended 238 accounts purportedly operating from Iran.