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Do not fill this in! ===Malicious and fake accounts=== Between January and late July 2017, Twitter had identified and shut down over 7,000 fake accounts created by [[Iran]]ian influence operations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/07/25/its-not-just-russians-anymore-iranians-others-turn-up-disinformation-efforts-ahead-vote/ |title=It's not just the Russians anymore as Iranians and others turn up disinformation efforts ahead of 2020 vote |date=July 25, 2019 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |last1=Timberg |first1=Craig |last2=Romm |first2=Tony}}</ref> In May 2018, in response to scrutiny over the misuse of Twitter by those seeking to maliciously influence elections, Twitter announced that it would partner with the nonprofit organization [[Ballotpedia]] to add special labels verifying the authenticity of political candidates running for election in the U.S.<ref>{{cite news|title=Twitter to add labels to U.S. political candidates|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/twitter-to-add-labels-to-u-s-political-candidates/ |access-date=May 23, 2018|publisher=CBS|date=May 23, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Scola|first1=Nancy |title=Twitter to verify election candidates in the midterms|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/23/twitter-verify-candidates-midterms-2018-1282802 |access-date=May 23, 2018|work=Politico|date=May 23, 2018}}</ref> In December 2019, Twitter removed 5,929 accounts for violating their [[Internet manipulation|manipulation]] policies. The company investigated and attributed these accounts to a single state-run information operation, which originated in [[Saudi Arabia]]. The accounts were reported to be a part of a larger group of 88,000 accounts engaged in [[Spamming|spammy behavior]]. However, Twitter did not disclose all of them as some could possibly be legitimate accounts taken over through [[Security hacker|hacking]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/national/18116303.twitter-facebook-remove-accounts-interference-crackdown/ |title=Twitter and Facebook remove accounts in interference crackdown|access-date=December 20, 2019|website=York Press|date=December 20, 2019 }}</ref> In March 2021, Twitter suspended around 3,500 fake accounts that were running a campaign to influence the American audience, after the US intelligence officials concluded that the assassination of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' journalist [[Jamal Khashoggi]] was "approved" by the Saudi Crown Prince [[Mohammed bin Salman]]. These Saudi accounts were working in two languages, English and Arabic, to influence public opinion around the issue. Many accounts commented directly on the tweets of US-based media houses, including ''The Post'', ''[[CNN]]'', ''[[CBS News]]'' and ''[[The Los Angeles Times]]''. Twitter was unable to identify the source of the influence campaign.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/03/02/saudi-khashoggi-twitter-mbs/ |title=When U.S. blamed Saudi crown prince for role in Khashoggi killing, fake Twitter accounts went to war|access-date=March 7, 2021|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> {{as of|2022}}, the top four countries spreading state-linked Twitter misinformation are Russia, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia.<ref name="aspi2022">{{cite web |title=Understanding Global Disinformation and Information Operations: Insights from ASPI's new analytic website |url=https://www.aspi.org.au/report/understanding_global_disinformation_information_operations |publisher=[[Australian Strategic Policy Institute]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220429013917/https://www.aspi.org.au/report/understanding_global_disinformation_information_operations |archive-date=April 29, 2022 |date=March 30, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2024, ''[[Intelligencer (website)|The Intelligencer]]'' reported on the proliferation of spam posts containing the phrase "βPβUβSβSβYβIβNβBβIβOβ", or similar references to pornographic content appearing in the poster's bio, apparently formatted so as to evade counter-spam measures.<ref name="Intelligencer PIB">{{Cite web|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/who-is-behind-all-the-pussy-in-bio-porn-spam-on-x.html|title=Who's Behind All the 'Pussy in Bio' on X?|first=John|last=Herrman|date=March 26, 2024|website=Intelligencer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/twitter-porn-bot-sex-meme-1234973030/|title=Why Porn Bots Have Taken Over Your Twitter Feed|first=Miles|last=Klee|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=February 22, 2024}}</ref> The commonality of "pussy in bio" or "PIB" spam made it fodder for jokes, including one posted by Elon Musk himself.<ref name="Intelligencer PIB"/> ''The Intelligencer'' further noted that most of the accounts that posted this spam were short-lived throwaway accounts, and that links provided by the accounts typically routed users through several layers of redirecting websites, ultimately landing on a provider of simulated sex chats.<ref name="Intelligencer PIB"/> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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