X, a social media platform, has suspended over 13,000 accounts involved in suspected foreign influence operations linked to China, Russia, and Iran.
What happened
The accounts were used to publish and amplify political content targeting US candidates and public figures across the political spectrum. X identified the accounts through proactive monitoring and investigations by its Safety team.
The suspensions come less than three weeks before the US midterm elections. X did not disclose how many accounts were associated with each country or publicly release evidence linking the networks to specific foreign government agencies.
X has rules against coordinated inauthentic behavior, which prohibit organized efforts to manipulate discussions through deceptive accounts. The company also addresses misleading information about voting and deceptive efforts to discourage electoral participation under its Civic Integrity Policy.
The announcement comes as the Justice Department has stepped up election-integrity prosecutions, with charges involving 16 individuals in cases concerning illegal voting and related offenses. The department stated it remains committed to keeping America's elections free from foreign influence.
