X suspends Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei’s Hebrew account

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has suspended the Hebrew-language account of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. The suspension occurred shortly after the account was created, and a notice was included stating, “X suspends accounts which violate the X Rules.”

The account was launched late Saturday, following Israel’s recent military strikes against Iran. Its suspension highlights the platform’s algorithmic systems, which are designed to detect unusual spikes in engagement that may indicate suspicious activity.

This latest move follows previous actions by Meta, which removed Khamenei’s Facebook and Instagram accounts in February due to his support for Hamas amid its attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The crackdown on social media accounts associated with controversial figures has intensified as companies like X aim to maintain the integrity of user interactions.

When Khamenei’s X account was created, it may have experienced a sudden influx of likes, retweets, and comments. Such rapid engagement can trigger automated moderation systems that scrutinize accounts for patterns typically associated with manipulative behaviors. While these algorithms aim to protect the platform’s integrity, they can inadvertently flag legitimate accounts, especially those belonging to politically sensitive figures.

This incident raises significant questions about the accuracy of algorithmic detection and the potential for misclassification. Despite the account’s legitimacy, the spike in engagement may have led to an automatic suspension.