X suspends 13,000 accounts, alleging foreign influence ahead of US midterms

What the report says

X has suspended more than 13,000 accounts after saying it uncovered three suspected foreign influence operations tied to Iran, Russia and China that were trying to sway political discussion in the United States. According to the platform, the takedowns were announced on Wednesday, ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections.

In its statement, X said the accounts were linked to networks that used fake profiles to post and amplify political material aimed at candidates and public figures across the political spectrum. The company said it identified the accounts through proactive investigations and enforcement of its rules against spam and coordinated inauthentic behavior. X also framed the move as part of broader efforts to protect what it calls authentic, open and safe debate on the platform.

The company said it is also enforcing election-related rules covering false or misleading voting information, attempts to suppress turnout, voter intimidation and calls for violence near polling places. It said users can report suspicious election content through its civic integrity tools, and in urgent cases X may label posts that violate its election policies.

The report adds that the announcement came about a week after OpenAI said it had disrupted two alleged influence operations linked to Russia and Iran. More broadly, the development highlights ongoing concerns about foreign interference and misinformation on social media during major US elections.