Social media platform X has revealed that it suspended about 800 million accounts over a 12-month period as part of a large-scale effort to combat attempts to manipulate activity on the platform. The company said the action was taken against accounts that violated rules related to spam, coordinated manipulation, and inauthentic behaviour designed to distort online discussions.
The disclosure came during a briefing to the United Kingdom’s foreign affairs committee, where representatives from X said the platform is continuously battling organised attempts by state-backed actors to influence online narratives. According to the company, Russia has emerged as the most active state actor in these operations, followed by Iran and China. These campaigns often involve networks of fake or coordinated accounts intended to spread misleading information, amplify certain narratives, or disrupt normal conversations on the platform.
Wifredo Fernández, a government affairs executive at X Corp, told lawmakers that attempts to manipulate the platform occur every day. He explained that such activities typically involve the creation of “inauthentic networks” designed to push low-quality or misleading content in large volumes. These accounts often work in coordination to make specific narratives appear more popular or credible than they actually are.
The company said that the suspended accounts were primarily removed for violating rules related to platform manipulation and spam. X defines manipulative behaviour as activity that involves bulk or aggressive actions meant to mislead other users or disrupt their experience. Spam, meanwhile, includes repeated and unsolicited actions that flood the platform with unwanted or low-quality content.
Officials from the company also pointed to attempts by Russian actors to influence global political discourse, including efforts to shape conversations around the 2024 United States presidential election. According to the company’s testimony, some of these campaigns attempted to “flood the zone” with particular narratives, aiming to create confusion or deepen social divisions among users.
Despite the large number of suspensions, the platform maintains that the majority of accounts currently active on X are genuine. Fernández said the company remains confident that most users interacting on the platform are authentic individuals rather than automated or coordinated accounts.
The revelation comes amid ongoing scrutiny of X’s content moderation practices since the platform was acquired by Elon Musk in 2022, when it was still known as Twitter. Critics have argued that changes to moderation policies have made it easier for misinformation or inflammatory content to spread. The platform has previously faced criticism for its role in amplifying speculation and misleading narratives during major events.
Concerns about fake accounts and automated bots have also played a major role in the platform’s recent history. Musk himself raised questions about the number of inauthentic accounts on the platform during his attempt to acquire Twitter in 2022, even citing the issue as a reason for trying to delay or withdraw from the deal before ultimately completing the purchase.
The company’s latest disclosure highlights the scale of the challenge faced by social media platforms in policing online manipulation. As geopolitical tensions and digital influence campaigns grow more sophisticated, platforms like X continue to face pressure from governments and regulators to strengthen safeguards against coordinated misinformation and foreign interference in online discourse.
