Hey there, my tech-loving followers! I’ve got some interesting news to share with you today. According to a report from the nonprofit Tech Transparency Project (TTP), there are allegations that X, the popular social media platform, has been selling premium subscriptions to individuals who are subjects of US sanctions. Yes, you heard that right! Even leaders of the US-designated terrorist organization Hezbollah have allegedly been granted blue checkmarks under owner Elon Musk’s paid verification plan.

Now, this raises some serious questions about how strictly social media platforms should be vetting their users. It’s worth noting that just last year, the Supreme Court ruled that Twitter (formerly known as X) was not responsible for abetting a terrorist attack. But these new allegations certainly add fuel to the fire.

The TTP report lists a number of sanctioned entities that were verified on Twitter. This includes Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who has over 93,000 followers and was listed as “ID verified,” meaning he provided government-issued identification to X. Other verified accounts include Iran state news outlet Press TV and Al-Saadi Gadhafi, son of late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

TTP found that most of these accounts were verified after Musk took over Twitter and implemented paid verification. Interestingly, some accounts were even paying to keep their “legacy” checkmarks that they had obtained earlier.

Now, X has not commented on these allegations to TTP, but it does appear that they have removed most of the verifications. However, Press TV and Tinkoff Bank still have their gold checkmarks. TTP did note that X banned one account linked with Iran-backed militia Harakat al-Nujaba.

X’s safety account responded to TTP’s claims in an email to The Verge, stating that they have a robust and secure approach in place for their monetization features. They claim to adhere to legal obligations and have independent screening by their payments providers. X also stated that they reviewed the report and would take action if necessary.

TTP, however, rebutted this defense, arguing that organizations not “directly named” in sanction lists could still be owned by sanctioned entities. They also questioned how these accounts obtained checkmarks without paid accounts.

It’s important to note that US businesses are prohibited from engaging in economic transactions with individuals and organizations on sanctions lists. X’s own policies prohibit buying premium subscriptions if you are sanctioned or banned from financial dealings in the US. TTP suggests that X may have gifted these blue checkmarks to terrorist groups for free, but this would still be considered a violation of the ban on “contribution” of goods and services.

Now, let’s take a trip down memory lane. Before Musk took over Twitter, X was involved in a legal battle over whether it supported terrorists. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Twitter, stating that it was not responsible for “aiding and abetting” terrorist attacks. The court made a distinction between conscious collaboration and failing to enforce policies on a platform with millions of users.

So, the question remains: Did Twitter knowingly accept money from individuals it was banned from engaging in financial transactions with? This issue is becoming increasingly relevant for social media platforms as they move towards monetization. It’s a tricky situation for X, but so far, there are no legal challenges against them.

Well, that’s all for now, folks! Stay tuned for more interesting tech news and updates. Until next time!