US EditionReport: X Sold Premium Accounts to Sanctioned Iranian Officials
More than two dozen Iranian government accounts bought X Premium features, enabling state propaganda during internet blackouts and potentially violating U.S. sanctions, Tech Transparency Project found.
- On Thursday, the Tech Transparency Project said more than two dozen accounts linked to Iranian government officials, state agencies and state-controlled media used X's paid premium services, with WIRED first reporting the findings.
- Elon Musk publicly backed protesters in Iran and provided free Starlink access during a nationwide internet blackout while protests began on December 28 in Tehran over the rial's devaluation.
- X Premium costs $8 a month and Premium+ costs $40 a month, offering blue checkmarks and perks, and WIRED flagged accounts led X to remove blue checks from four of five queried accounts on Wednesday.
- TTP warned that revenue from these subscriptions likely violates U.S. economic sanctions, and a Treasury spokesperson said `we take allegations of sanctionable conduct extremely seriously.`
- Linked officials include Ali Larijani and Gholamhossein Ejei, with accounts used to share state-sponsored propaganda during an internet blackout, according to the report.
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7 Articles
X sold premium services to Iranian leaders, despite US sanctions: Report
The social media platform X appears to have stripped numerous Iranian officials of their blue check marks following questions regarding possible violations of U.S. sanctions against the Islamic republic. In a report released Thursday, the Tech Transparency Project said that more than two dozen accounts belonging to Iranian officials, government agencies and state-controlled media outlets have been using X’s premium services. “Because X requires …
Elon Musk might be violating sanctions against Iran with X Premium accounts.
The Tech Transparency Project identified several Iranian government agencies and officials enjoying the perks of X Premium accounts. Normally, Premium requires a paid subscription, which could violate US sanctions. Suspiciously, when Wired flagged some of those accounts to X, they were stripped of their blue checkmarks: > X did not respond to a request for comment, but within hours of WIRED flagging several X accounts belonging to Iranian offici…
Elon Musk’s X Appears to Be Violating US Sanctions by Selling Premium Accounts to Iranian Leaders
While publicly supporting protesters in Iran, Elon Musk’s X appears to have been selling premium accounts to regime officials. Check marks were removed from certain accounts after a WIRED inquiry.
X's Premium Account Dilemma: Selling Checkmarks to Iranian Officials
X, formerly Twitter, finds itself amidst controversy as premium verification accounts were sold to Iranian government officials and state‑controlled media, potentially violating OFAC regulations. These officials, subject to U.S. sanctions, had access to X's blue checkmarks through its paid premium service, raising serious legal and financial questions for the platform.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left, 50% of the sources are Center
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