X Accuses China Of Flooding Platform With Porn To Stifle Unrest

China Allegedly Uses Porn to Silence Dissent

Nikita Bier, who took over as head of product at X (formerly Twitter) in July 2025, has leveled serious accusations against the Chinese government. Bier asserts that China is deliberately flooding search results with adult content during periods of political unrest, aiming to drown out real-time updates and news.

In a recent post on X, Bier revealed, “They [China] have a pool of 5-10 million accounts that were registered before I locked down signup.” This tactic reportedly exploits accounts pre-dating the tightening of X’s security measures, using them strategically to obscure politically sensitive information.

History of State-Linked Manipulation on X

Allegations of state-backed interference on X are not new. Under former leadership, Twitter disclosed that Chinese state-affiliated networks emerged around 2019 and 2020. Notably, in 2019, Twitter identified 936 accounts aimed at stirring political discord in Hong Kong. By 2020, this network was revealed to include over 23,750 core accounts and around 150,000 amplifier accounts, pushing narratives favorable to the Chinese Communist Party.

These disclosures came to a halt when Elon Musk acquired Twitter in October 2022, cutting staff significantly – including teams countering foreign influence. Soon after, researchers noticed spammy posts in Chinese related to adult services during the 2022 zero-Covid protests, which some attributed to state efforts to muffle critical news.

“The importance of X for Chinese human rights defenders cannot be over-estimated,” stated Human Rights in China, highlighting the platform's crucial role amid the Great Firewall's censorship.

New Tools to Identify State Actors

X has introduced a feature that could shed new light on these alleged manipulations. The "About This Account" function reveals the true location of users based on IP addresses. This feature can pinpoint whether accounts are using VPNs to access X or directly connecting from within China – a noteworthy feat given the Great Firewall.

Surprisingly, some accounts appear to be "based in" China despite the platform's ban in the country, suggesting potential direct access granted by authorities. This revelation echoes past reports, which noted that some accounts accessed Twitter from unblocked IP addresses within mainland China.

Ongoing Investigations into Coordinated Campaigns

Investigations using the "Based in China" database continue to uncover accounts bolstering Communist Party narratives. Searches for political figures like Miao Hua and He Hongjun reveal posts tied to state media cycles, indicating a coordinated effort to saturate the platform with favorable content.

These accounts are prolific, posting numerous times daily, often echoing CCP messaging. They sometimes converge on trivial topics, but the underlying pattern points to a consistent strategy of softening scrutiny and maintaining state control over narratives.