In a recent investigation by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), it has been revealed that Elon Musk's "free speech" app, X, has been providing premium services to leaders of designated terrorist group Hezbollah, among others. The investigation shows that X, formerly known as Twitter, has been offering paid services such as verification, boosted content, and longer posts to these individuals, despite the U.S. government imposing sanctions on these groups.

According to the TTP's findings, accounts belonging to Hezbollah's leaders, as well as Iran-backed militants, Houthi Rebels, and Russian state media, have been receiving premium services from X. Many of these accounts were identified by blue and gold checkmarks, indicating their subscription status. Notably, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, had over 93,000 followers on X and used the platform to share official press releases from the organization. However, recent observations suggest that the blue checkmark next to Nasrallah's account and other terrorist leaders' accounts has been removed, although archived screenshots confirm their verification status as recently as January.

The investigation also revealed that Iranian state media outlet Press TV, which is subject to U.S. sanctions against Iran, had a gold checkmark, indicating a "Verified Organization." The TTP discovered that advertisements were appearing in the replies to 19 out of 28 of the sanctioned accounts, with conservative U.S. publication The Dispatch found alongside Press TV's posts.

This incident is reminiscent of a previous investigation by Media Matters, which exposed anti-Semitic content appearing next to ads from major companies such as Disney, IBM, and Apple. Following that report, X faced a mass exodus of advertisers, from which it has yet to fully recover.

In response to the findings, X claimed that some of the accounts listed were not directly named on sanction lists and that visible checkmarks do not necessarily mean they received any services subject to sanctions. However, this raises concerns about potential violations of X's own terms of service, which prohibit economic sanctions levied entities from using paid services. Furthermore, X's policies state that individuals from Iran are not allowed to purchase paid services, yet several Iranian groups were identified in the investigation.

Originally meant to add legitimacy to profiles, blue and gold checkmarks on X have now become a paid product since Musk's takeover. X states that users with checkmarks benefit from increased trust from others, but it seems the platform may not be thoroughly vetting who receives a verification.

This controversy raises questions about X's commitment to free speech and its content moderation practices. While X positions itself as a platform that champions free expression, the revelation that it has provided services to terrorist leaders suggests a more lenient approach to content moderation. The accusation that X allegedly received payments from terrorist groups in exchange for a better platform only highlights the potential anarchy rather than true promotion of free speech.

The investigation into X's dealings with designated terrorist groups and its failure to adhere to its own policies will likely intensify scrutiny on how the app is managed and regulated in the future.