Twitter Continues to Accept Payments from Terrorist Organizations for Premium Accounts

A report by the Tech Transparency Project, cited in a New York Times article, reveals that over 200 accounts connected to terrorist groups and other sanctioned entities have acquired Blue Check marks on Twitter, despite the platform's policies against such activities. The report found that these accounts, costing $8 monthly, provide users with a blue check mark and additional benefits, including enhanced algorithm placement and post editing capabilities. The situation has continued since a previous report by the Tech Transparency Project last year, which identified 28 sanctioned entities with paid Blue Check marks.

Key Takeaways:

• Twitter has continued to accept payments from accounts linked to leaders within Hezbollah, Houthi officials, and militia leaders in Syria and Iraq for premium subscription accounts, despite being under US sanctions.
• Over 200 terrorist accounts with Blue Check marks have been identified, with some having over 40,700 followers, including a founder and former secretary general of Hezbollah.
• The report highlights the Tech Transparency Project's finding that the accounts rely on the premium services for the amplification of long propaganda posts and extended videos.
• The new system lacks identity verification, raising the possibility that some of the flagged accounts could belong to impersonators.
• The report notes that it remains unclear how the organizations and individuals identified in the report circumvented Twitter's rules to obtain premium status.
• Some of the identified accounts have used Twitter to solicit funds through tipping and subscription features or by directing users to cryptocurrency wallets.

Statistics:

• Over 200 accounts connected to terrorist groups and other sanctioned entities have acquired Blue Check marks on Twitter.
• At least five senior Houthi officials have paid for Blue Check marks on Twitter, with their accounts collectively having over 820,000 followers.
• The accounts identified in the report have collectively spent over $16,000 on premium services.
• Twitter's premium subscription service costs $8 per month and provides users with a blue check mark, enhanced algorithm placement, post editing capabilities, and the ability to share longer videos.

Sources:

• New York Times article:
• Tech Transparency Project report: "Over 200 Terrorist Accounts Have Blue Check Marks on Twitter"
• Twitter's policy on terrorist groups and fraudsters:
• Treasury Department's sanctions list:
• Twitter's identity verification process for ID verified accounts: