X removes Hamas-affiliated accounts as its CEO drops out of key tech event

Elon Musk-run X on Tuesday said it has removed newly-created Hamas-affiliated accounts and purged tens of thousands of posts for sharing graphic media, violent speech, and hateful conduct amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas violence, as its CEO Linda Yaccarino cancelled her appearance at a key tech conference next week.

The platform said it is also continuing to proactively monitor for antisemitic speech. “We have taken action to remove several hundred accounts attempting to manipulate trending topics. Community Notes are now live on posts and new accounts are being enrolled in real time to propose and rate notes,” said the social media network.

The platform saw an increase in daily active users in the conflict area. “There have been more than 50 million posts globally focusing on the weekend’s terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas. As the events continue to unfold rapidly, a cross-company leadership group has assessed this moment as a crisis requiring the highest level of response,” said X.

The platform said it will continue to keep its community updated about actions it is taking related to the conflict. Meanwhile, Yaccarino has opted out from the Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference next week. “Linda Yaccarino will be unable to attend the WSJ Tech Live conference next week. With the global crisis unfolding, Linda and her team must remain fully focused on X platform safety,” the platform told the WSJ in a statement.

The “global crisis” is a reference to the violence in Israel, which resulted in a flood of horrific videos being posted to X.