Twitter blocks Saudi ‘state-backed’ suspicious accounts

Twitter said on Friday that it had suspended thousands of accounts linked to a manipulation effort stemming from Saudi Arabia, in the latest social media crackdown on state-sponsored propaganda efforts.

The online service said some 88,000 accounts being blocked were linked to Saudi state-backed “information operations” in violation of Twitter’s platform manipulation rules.

Most of the accounts were in Arabic and aimed at “amplifying messages favourable to Saudi authorities,” but that some English language content was aimed at “Western audiences.”

“Our internal analysis shows the network was involved in various forms of platform manipulation, targeting discussions related to Saudi Arabia and advancing their geopolitical interests on the world stage,” the Twitter safety team said in a blog post.