Campaigners claim that numerous blue ticks on X platform were given to terrorists.

According to the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), Elon Musk's social media platform, formerly known as Twitter and now referred to as X, has provided subscription benefits to designated terrorist groups and banned organizations in the US. The TTP discovered that X had given verified blue checkmarks to accounts associated with members of Hezbollah and other similar groups. For a monthly fee of $8, subscribers were granted privileges such as longer posts and improved promotion. X has removed some of these checkmarks following the report, claiming that its security measures are robust. However, critics argue that this decision to charge for verified accounts has exacerbated the issue of disinformation and allowed impersonators to exploit the platform. Previously, the blue checkmark was a free badge used by Twitter to verify a user's identity. Among the recipients of these checkmarks were journalists, world leaders, celebrities, and individuals facing US sanctions. The TTP suggests that charging for these verifications may raise legal concerns. X has now removed the blue checkmarks from the identified accounts. One of the accounts highlighted by the TTP was linked to Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, which had seemingly paid for a checkmark. The Houthis, who are sanctioned in both the US and UK, had over 23,000 followers. The US Treasury, responsible for sanction lists, has not yet provided a comment on the matter. The TTP reports that X is selling premium services to individuals or groups under US sanctions, including an account connected to Hezbollah's secretary-general. X claims to require users to provide government-issued identification and selfies for verification, although it remains unclear if these processes were followed by the Hezbollah-affiliated account. X's safety team has stated that its subscription process adheres to legal obligations and undergoes independent screening by payment providers. X wrote a response to the TTP post, stating that some of the listed accounts were not directly mentioned on the US sanctions list, and some received checkmarks without accessing services subject to sanctions. X committed to reviewing the TTP report and taking action if necessary. The TTP argues that even though some organizations are not explicitly sanctioned, they are owned by entities under US sanctions. Katie Paul, director of the TTP, commented that this situation indicates X has lost control of its platform. Elon Musk, the owner of X and CEO of Tesla, has expressed his desire for the platform to resemble a "town square," emphasizing freedom of speech while removing illegal content. However, some of Musk's decisions, such as reinstating rapper Kanye West's account following offensive posts, have been controversial. The TTP also identified other seemingly paid-for subscription accounts, including one associated with NTV, a state-controlled Russian television channel. The US has imposed trade restrictions on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.