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

The social platform says networks targeted US political conversation across the spectrum ahead of midterm elections.

Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, formerly known as Twitter [File: Gonzalo Fuentes / Reuters]

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.

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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.

该社交平台表示，在中期选举前，各网络平台都针对美国各领域的政治话题展开了讨论。

埃隆·马斯克，SpaceX 和特斯拉首席执行官，以及前身为 Twitter 的 X 的所有者 [图片：Gonzalo Fuentes / 路透社]

社交媒体平台 X 已暂停了 13,000 多个与伊朗、俄罗斯和中国有关的三起涉嫌外国影响力行动相关的账户，这些行动旨在影响美国的政治辩论。

该公司周三宣布了暂停相关业务的计划，并概述了在11月3日美国中期选举前采取的措施。

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X 表示，其调查发现这些网络使用虚假账户发布和放大针对“整个政治光谱”的候选人和公众人物的政治内容。

该公司表示，根据其打击垃圾邮件和协同虚假行为的规则，通过“主动扫描和调查”发现了这些账户。

“言论自由是民主制度正常运转的基石，我们很自豪X平台能成为全球辩论的场所。我们的职责是确保对话的真实性、开放性和安全性。”X全球政府事务部在宣布暂停合作时表示。

X 还概述了有关美国中期选举如何、何时或何地投票的误导性信息的规定，以及压制投票率和恐吓选民的企图，包括在投票站附近煽动暴力。

该公司表示，用户可以通过“公民诚信”选项举报与选举相关的帖子，并请求社区提供背景信息。该平台还表示，在紧急情况下，如果帖子违反其选举规则，需要特别关注，X平台可能会添加标签。

就在一周前，OpenAI 宣布关闭了两个据称来自俄罗斯和伊朗的影响力行动，这两个行动利用 ChatGPT 来推广虚假记者身份，并运营一个秘密传播反乌克兰宣传的“智库”。

X此前曾对疑似外国影响力网络采取行动。2021年，当时名为Twitter的X表示，已封禁238个据称在伊朗运营的账户。