X is once again selling checkmarks to US sanctioned groups, report says

X was again accepted by payments from persons associated with terrorist groups and other entities subject to US sanctions, according to a new report issued by the Technical Transparency Project (TTP). According to the report, X did not accept the acceptable payments only for the service of its premium, but in some cases the “identified definition” badge provided.

The report wonders once again whether X complies with US sanctions that restrict companies’ ability to deal with individuals and entities that have been considered a security threat. Last year, TTP, which identified more than twenty verified accounts and which were affected by the groups, including Hezbollah leaders and Houthi accounts in Yemen. Several these selection marks were later canceled, with X promised to “maintain a safe, safe and compatible platform.”

But some of these accounts are “repeated” simply “to X or created X service, according to the report, which relies on research between November 2024 and April 2025.” Moreover, some “ID” accounts were verified, which means that X conducted an additional review to confirm its identity. “

The report sheds light on the accounts associated with Hezbollah members, including one of its founders, as well as Houthi officials who “benefit from X for messages and advertising.” The son of the Libyan dictator Mamar Gaddafi, whose novel was currently suspended, is currently, as did Ragad Saddam Hussein Al -Tabaiti, one of Saddam Hussein’s daughters. Both were under penalties for more than a decade.

X did not respond to a request to comment on the report. In response to the report last year, the company “will take action if necessary.” However, it is unclear whether the company has changed any of its practices regarding those who can pay the price of distinguished subscriptions.

“If a small team can use X’s general search tools, it is unclear why billions of dollars cannot do the same,” said Michelle Coopermith, the campaign’s executive director of the campaign. “It is one thing to allow terrorists to get a sound on the platform; it’s completely something else to allow them to pay for the most effective speakers.”