X Cracks Down on Pakistan-Based AI War Video Network Spreading Misinformation

In a post, X's head of product, Nikita Bier said that the accounts were hacked and their usernames renamed to "Iran War Monitor" or some derivative on February 27.

"Last night, we found a guy in Pakistan that was managing 31 accounts posting AI war videos. All were hacked and the usernames were changed on Feb 27 to "Iran War Monitor" or some derivative. We are getting much faster at detecting this - and also eliminating the incentive to do this," Nikita Bier posted on X.

Bier mentioned that accounts on X were not only impersonating Iran-related monitors but also posed as several "IDF Girl" accounts which were also operated in Pakistan.

Replying to another post on X, Bier wrote, "In 99 per cent of cases, it's just people looking to game monetization. But to answer your question, yes we did a sweep of "IDF Girl" accounts that were run out of Pakistan recently. The only thing they care about is what gets impressions - not the political leaning."

In response, X announced tougher rules. Nikita Bier said that users who shared AI-generated videos of an armed conflict without adding a disclosure that it was made with AI will be suspended from Creator Revenue Sharing for 90 days. He stressed that it is important that people amid the war have access to authentic information from the ground.

"Today we are revising our Creator Revenue Sharing policies to maintain authenticity of content on Timeline and prevent manipulation of the programme. During times of war, it is critical that people have access to authentic information on the ground. With today's AI technologies, it is trivial to create content that can mislead people," Nikita Bier posted on X.

"Starting now, users who post AI-generated videos of an armed conflict - without adding a disclosure that it was made with AI - will be suspended from Creator Revenue Sharing for 90 days. Subsequent violations will result in a permanent suspension from the program. This will be flagged to us by any post with a Community Note or if the content contains meta data (or other signals) from generative AI tools. We will continue to refine our policies and product to ensure X can be trusted during these critical moments," he added.

The decision of X comes amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia which started after joint US-Israel strikes on Iran, aimed at degrading Tehran's missile capabilities and broader military infrastructure.

The opening wave of the operation killed senior figures in the Iranian leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering a sweeping response from Iran in the form of drone and missile attacks targetting US assets, regional capitals and allied forces across West Asia.

- IANS