Social media has become a central tool for synchronized disinformation and psychological warfare, especially in hybrid conflicts targeting both public sentiment and military morale. U.S.-designated terrorist organizations (DTOs) leverage X’s (formerly Twitter’s) premium-verification model to amplify their reach and recruit.
With X’s paid blue checkmark, X must be extra careful to deactivate reported accounts backing designated terrorists, not amplify their reach. As recently discussed, the Antiterrorism Act prohibits knowingly providing ‘material support’ to terrorist groups.
A recent report highlighted the Hebrew-language X accounts controlled by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei—commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is a designated terrorist organization.
The Gonzalez v. Google Supreme Court case recently addressed YouTube’s liability for ISIS content under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act; but, it did not examine the potential criminal liability under the Antiterrorism Act for not deactivating reported DTO-linked accounts levereaging premium features to grow. If the reported accounts stay up, then X’s verification model, combined with algorithmic reach, merits a fresh look from Congress and the courts to ensure such risks are addressed.
To disrupt this, I urge readers to immediately report accounts backing designated terrorists (both verified and unverified, especially if they are following one another and resharing content to increase their credibility), such as those affiliated with Hezbollah or the IRGC (including its commander-in-chief, the Ayatollah), to X, while also actively updating the “watch” list.
Join me in urging U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey in Northern California to investigate X’s practices under the Antiterrorism Act (assuming X won’t take approate action on its own accord) by signing the petition at change.org/standwithisrael. Together, we can help prevent terrorist groups from exploiting American infrastructure to inflict harm on Americans and Israelis alike.
Source » timesofisrael