Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Sayyed Khamenei: In the 12-day war, the Iranian people defeated the Americans and the Zionists without a doubt
Sayyed Khamenei: We must enhance mobilization and pass on its concept to future generations, and I have always advised all government agencies to operate in a mobilization-oriented manner
Sayyed Khamenei: The scientists who were martyred in the 12-day aggression were not involved in the mobilization, but they embodied the true image of being part of the mobilization move
Sayyed Khamenei: The IRGC may be the official side concerned with mobilization, but any zealous group that wants to work for the sake of this country is part of this mobilization
Sayyed Khamenei: The phenomenon of resistance will continue and grow, and the oppressed people of the world will feel that someone supports them and that there is a power that amplifies their voice
Addressing the Iranian nation, Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei: A country like Iran needs mobilization more than any other country in light of foreign ambitions and interventions [affecting it]
Larijani to Pakistan's HUM TV: We are not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, but we will continue to seriously develop our peaceful nuclear program
Larijani: Whoever wants to genuinely engage in negotiations does not predetermine the outcome; that is not negotiating
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani: Iran has not and will not abandon genuine negotiations
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli aircraft launch airstrike on al-Mahmoudiya.

Users still able to sell, trade child sex abuse material on Twitter

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: NBC News
  • 7 Jan 2023 16:07
3 Min Read

In an investigative report, NBC News discovered dozens of accounts and hundreds of tweets claiming to sell child sexual abuse material on Twitter.

  • x
  • A sign outside the Twitter office building in San Francisco (AP)
    A sign outside the Twitter office building in San Francisco (AP)

Twitter accounts that offer to trade or sell child sexual abuse material under oblique terms and hashtags have remained active for months, despite CEO Elon Musk's promise to combat child exploitation on the platform.

“Priority #1,” Musk called it in a Nov. 20 tweet. He’s also criticized Twitter’s former leadership, claiming that they did little to address child sexual exploitation and that he intended to change things.

However, according to a single day's tweets, at least dozens of accounts have continued to post hundreds of tweets using terms, abbreviations, and hashtags indicating the sale of what Twitter calls child sexual exploitation material. Experts and law enforcement agencies working to combat the spread of such material are well aware of the signs and signals.

NBC News reviewed tweets that offered to sell or trade content commonly known as child pornography or child sexual abuse material. The tweets contain no Child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and NBC News did not view any CSAM while reporting this article.

Read next: Twitter employees beg for toilet paper as Musk cuts costs

Some tweets and accounts date back months before Musk's takeover. They were still available on the platform as of Friday morning.

During Musk's tenure, many more tweets were published, which NBC News reviewed over a period of weeks. Some users who tweeted CSAM offers appeared to delete the tweets shortly after posting them, presumably to avoid detection, and then tweeted similar offers from the same accounts later.

“Twitter has zero tolerance towards any material that features or promotes child sexual exploitation, one of the most serious violations of the Twitter Rules. This may include media, text, illustrated or computer-generated images," according to Twitter’s rules published in October 2020. 

Twitter's vice president of product overseeing trust and safety, Ella Irwin, told NBC News in an email after this article was published, "We definitely know we still have work to do in the space, and certainly believe we have been improving rapidly and detecting far more than Twitter has detected in a long time, but we are deploying a number of things to continue to improve."

Read next: Elon Musk to allow political ads back on Twitter

Irwin asked that NBC News provide the findings of its investigation to the company so that it could "follow up and get the content down."

After Musk implemented several rounds of layoffs and issued an ultimatum that resulted in a wave of resignations, it's unknown how many people remain at Twitter to deal with CSAM. Musk has enlisted some outside assistance, and the company announced in December that the number of accounts suspended for child sexual exploitation had increased dramatically.

According to a representative for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the number of reports of CSAM detected and flagged by the company has remained constant since Musk's takeover.

  • Sexual abuse
  • Elon Musk
  • Twitter
  • child abuse
  • CSAM

Most Read

Hezbollah announces the martyrdom of Haitham al-Tabatabai

Hezbollah announces the martyrdom of commander Haitham Tabatabai

  • West Asia
  • 23 Nov 2025
Hezbollah publishes biography of martyred leader Haitham al-Tabatabai

Hezbollah publishes biography of martyred leader Haitham Tabatabai

  • Politics
  • 23 Nov 2025
Hezbollah releases the names of the four martyred with Tabatabai

Hezbollah releases the names of the 4 martyred alongside Tabatabai

  • West Asia
  • 24 Nov 2025
A boy tries to stand near missiles displayed in the National Aerospace Park of the Revolutionary Guard, just outside Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025 (AP)

Key Israeli sites destroyed, nuclear docs moved to Tehran: Minister

  • Politics
  • 22 Nov 2025

Coverage

All
In Five

Read Next

All
Turkey
Politics

Turkey: Lebanon-Cyprus maritime deal ignores Turkish Cypriots

US Navy, San Francisco
US & Canada

US Navy withheld plutonium alert from San Francisco for 11 months

India weighs a major expansion of its S-400 fleet, as the Su-57 remains off the table.
Politics

India weighs major expansion of S-400 fleet; Su-57 stays off the table

China warns of rising nuclear risks after Trump announces a testing plan.
Politics

China warns of rising nuclear risks after Trump announces testing plan

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS