X granted verification marks to terrorist groups like Hezbollah, watchdog says

X – formerly Twitter – provided subscription perks to members and leaders of various terrorist groups, according to a new report by a tech policy watchdog.

The Tech Transparency Project (TTP) claims in the report that X provided perks of its premium, paid services, including verification marks to banned organisations and terrorist groups such as the Hezbollah.

The watchdog says its investigation found over a dozen X accounts belonging to such US-sanctioned groups with blue checkmark, indicating these users had subscribed to the social media platform’s premium subscription.

“We were surprised to find that X was providing premium services to a wide range of groups the US has sanctioned for terrorism and other activities that harm its national security. It’s yet another sign that X has lost control of its platform,” Katie Paul, the director of the Tech Transparency Project, told The New York Times.

Responding to the report, X said its teams reviewed the findings and “will take action if necessary”.

“We’re always committed to ensuring that we maintain a safe, secure and compliant platform,” the company said.

X rolls out the bluecheck marks to premium subscribers to confer legitimacy and as a way to prevent impersonation of these accounts.

Premium subscribers also get a number of special features including the ability to post longer text and videos and greater visibility for some posts.

One such account with a “verified” blue check mark bears the user name and profile image of Hassan Nasrallah – Hezbollah’s secretary-general.

The Hezbollah leader’s account has 93,600 followers and posts messages and memes disparaging Israel and the US.

A message pinned at the top of this account includes a Hezbollah video of rocket fire and militants firing weapons with the caption “We are coming…..” written on it.

Users seeking verification are also required by X to submit a government-issued ID and a selfie to get “prioritized support”, but it is unclear if Nasrallah did so.

Since the microblogging platform requires users to pay a monthly or annual fee for its premium service, this means X may have engaged in financial transactions with these accounts of terrorist groups – a likely violation of US sanctions, according to TTP.

Other US sanctioned entities with verification marks on their X profiles include multiple accounts linked to the Iran government, Iran’s Press TV, and Russia’s Tinkoff Bank, according to the report.

X’s own policies say its premium services are off limits to US-sanctioned entities.

Hours after TTP published its report, X removed the verification marks of accounts flagged in the investigation, and suspended an account of the Iranian-sponsored militia Harakat al-Nujaba.

But it remains unclear how the accounts highlighted in the report seemingly skirted X’s rules to pay for their verification.

Since the company slashed its workforce drastically after Elon Musk’s takeover, it may also be possible that it is unable to verify identities of users on a large scale before granting check marks, meaning the accounts flagged by TTP may be impersonators.

X did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment.