X purges 13,000 accounts linked to suspected meddling ahead of US midterms

Commenters debated X’s purge of 13,000 accounts as politically charged rather than a neutral enforcement action. Many suggested the removals fit a pattern tied to the CEO’s politics, pointing to Musk’s reported spending on Republican campaigns and accusing the platform of censoring left-leaning views. Others defended the action as routine moderation or standard anti-meddling work, with some saying X has done shadow-banning before and that takedowns of accounts pushing disinformation are a known practice. Several people flagged the vague policy language about content that “discourages participation,” wondering whether legitimate calls not to vote could be swept up, and others raised the possibility that recent outages or foreign infrastructure issues rather than deliberate targeting could explain account disappearances.

Commenters also argued over scale and impact. Some dismissed 13,000 as a trivial share of users, while others countered - echoing greg7mdp - that a tiny fraction can be disproportionately influential and that engagement or follower metrics are what really matter, prompting calls for transparency about methodology. The conversation ranged from reminders of social media’s central role in political organizing (citing Trump-era examples) to accusations of hypocrisy and tit-for-tat censorship, with several voices demanding evidence before accepting claims about motives or outcomes.