A coalition of House Democrats has alleged that X, previously known as Twitter, has been profiting from Hamas propaganda and spreading false information regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, following findings by independent researchers of numerous accounts that glorify the US-sanctioned terror group. Over twenty-five US lawmakers have signed a letter dated Tuesday, urging X owner Elon Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino to address these concerns.
Lawmakers expressed outrage over evidence that X is profiting from the spread of Hamas terrorist propaganda through subscription fees and ads, according to analyses by groups such as the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, NewsGuard, and the Tech Transparency Project. One report found that paid X subscribers were sharing videos with Hamas iconography and violent imagery, while another identified dozens of paid X accounts promoting false narratives about the war, with the misinformation viewed over 100 million times globally.
"X's significant reduction in content moderation staff over the past year suggests that X has knowingly allowed and profited from the unlawful dissemination of terrorist propaganda," stated the group, led by Reps. Adam Schiff of California, Daniel Goldman of New York, and Jamie Raskin of Maryland. "Such conduct from one of the most widely used social media platforms in the world is completely unacceptable."
X did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment.
Musk surprised many on Tuesday by announcing that X would donate all advertising and subscription revenue related to the Gaza war to hospitals in Israel and the Red Cross/Crescent in Gaza. However, it was unclear what exactly he was referring to, and whether his announcement was linked to the letter from lawmakers. The pressure from House Democrats is part of a broader backlash against X for extremist content on the platform, some of which was amplified by Musk himself. In response, X has seen a significant loss of high-profile advertisers following Musk's public support of an antisemitic conspiracy theory and a report by Media Matters, a progressive media watchdog group, that revealed major brands' ads appearing alongside pro-Nazi content.
Elon Musk filed a lawsuit against Media Matters on Monday, claiming that the organization distorted the possibility of ads being displayed alongside extremist content. However, some legal experts have questioned the strength and validity of the complaint, referring to it as "weak" and "baseless" in the context of the First Amendment.
In addition, a recent letter has brought attention to the increasing public scrutiny of Yaccarino, who has previously presented herself as a positive influence in contrast to Musk's association with far-right extremism. The letter requests that Yaccarino and Musk respond to allegations by December 1, regarding X's promotion of terrorist propaganda in violation of their own policies.
The day after the Senate Judiciary Committee announced that it had called on the US Marshals Service to personally serve Yaccarino with a subpoena, forcing her to testify at a hearing on children's online safety, a release stated that the committee had to take this unusual step because X had refused to accept the subpoena on Yaccarino's behalf in a significant deviation from normal procedure.
