GoKawiilX removes 13,000 accounts tied to alleged Iran, Russia, China influence ops
X said it suspended more than 13,000 accounts linked to three suspected foreign influence operations that it attributed to Iran, Russia and China, ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections. The company said the networks used fake accounts to post and amplify political content about candidates and public figures, but it did not publish evidence supporting the attribution. X also pointed to its Civic Integrity policy, which funnels reports into Community Notes alongside other moderation actions.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The lack of public evidence makes it hard for outside researchers to verify X's claims about who ran these networks, which matters given the platform's heavy reliance on crowdsourced Community Notes after cutting moderation staff since Musk's takeover. The EU has already questioned whether Community Notes reliably catches inaccurate content, suggesting the system may be tested further as more election-related disinformation emerges. Separate comments from the UK's MI5 chief, noting past Russian interference attempts around Brexit, underline that foreign influence operations are seen as an ongoing, cross-border concern rather than one tied to a single vote.
- X removed over 13,000 accounts tied to suspected Iran-, Russia- and China-linked influence campaigns.
- The company offered no public evidence to substantiate its attribution of the networks.
- X is leaning on its Civic Integrity policy and Community Notes, a system already questioned by EU regulators under the Digital Services Act.
Source: theregister.com — Connor Jones, 2026-10-15
Published there as: “X purges 13,000 accounts linked to suspected meddling ahead of US midterms”
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