From Straight Arrow · · 1m 50s
X cracks down on Russia-backed election lies
X suspended Russian propaganda accounts but paid influencers still spread election lies to millions.
In brief
X suspended Russian propaganda accounts but paid influencers still spread election lies to millions. X suspended 2 dozen Storm-1516 accounts but paid influencers with 2.4m followers continue spreading false allegations against Senate candidates. Originally reported by Straight Arrow.
X suspends Russian accounts
X suspended about two dozen accounts tied to a Russian propaganda syndicate just ahead of Election Day.
Storm-1516 remains active
Dozens of Storm-1516 accounts with over 2.4 million followers remain active on X after partial suspension.
Targets in Senate races
Storm-1516 targeted James Talarico in Texas, Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Troy Jackson in Maine.
False allegations spread
Storm-1516 spread false sexual assault allegations against Democrats and workplace violence claims.
Paid influencers amplify
Paid influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers amplified false narratives to target Senate candidates.
Real people behind accounts
Researchers say most active Storm-1516 accounts are run by real people, not bots.
Influencer Johnny Midnight
Johnny Midnight, with 760,000 followers, spread false allegations against Senate candidates.
Influencer Joey Mannarino
Joey Mannarino, with 779,000 followers, spread voter fraud claims and discourages voting for libertarian candidates.
Mannarino's claims
Mannarino claimed voter fraud would reach historic levels and urged immediate reporting of fraud attempts.
X's enforcement
X suspended 13,000 accounts but left Storm-1516 accounts active due to inconsistent enforcement.
Storm-1516's tactics
Storm-1516 uses real collaborators to publish narratives and pays influencers hundreds of dollars per post.
International impact
Storm-1516 spreads disinformation in France and other countries targeting political movements.
X's stance
X claims suspended accounts were inauthentic but faces challenges distinguishing real users from bots.
What happens next
Storm-1516 continues spreading election lies while X struggles to enforce consistent removal of accounts.
What to remember
X suspended 2 dozen Storm-1516 accounts but paid influencers with 2.4m followers continue spreading false allegations against Senate candidates.
