This archive report was first published on 20 December 2019.
On December 20, 2019, Twitter suspended thousands of accounts linked to a significant state-backed information operation originating in Saudi Arabia. According to Twitter, these accounts targeted discussions about Saudi Arabia and were removed for violating the platform's 'platform manipulation policies.'
Twitter's site integrity team had been investigating the accounts, which were primarily amplifying messages favorable to Saudi authorities through inauthentic engagement tactics. The company had also published data about these accounts.
Twitter had previously suspended the account of former Saudi royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani and others linked to the Saudi government in September 2019. The latest suspensions follow this action and involve over 88,000 accounts engaged in spammy behavior across various topics.
While most of the content involved was in Arabic, some related to events relevant to Western audiences, according to Twitter's blog post.
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