Elon Musk is profiting millions from verified neo-Nazi X accounts.

This blog originally appeared at LGBTQ NATION.

…and he’s also amplifying their hateful messages.

Elon Musk’s platform has granted “Premium” blue checkmarks to over 150 paid neo-Nazi subscribers, as per NBC News. These subscribers frequently breach the platform’s policies on hate speech by sharing hateful perspectives, swastika imagery, Holocaust denial, Adolf Hitler speeches, and antisemitic content advocating violence against Jews and other communities.

In March alone, numerous posts, including one echoing the debunked assertion that 6 million Jews didn’t perish in the Holocaust, garnered millions of views. Subscribers, who pay $8 monthly, receive “prioritization,” which enhances the visibility of their posts. Thousands of unverified non-subscribers repost this content, perpetuating and legitimizing neo-Nazi ideologies.

While X prohibits the glorification of violence in its policies, the platform inconsistently enforces these rules. According to NBC News, the tally of paid neo-Nazi accounts might exceed 150, as premium subscribers previously had the ability to conceal their verification check marks from public view. However, X has announced plans to eliminate this option in the near future.

X also recently implemented a change to provide free premium subscription checkmarks to accounts with over 2,500 verified followers. This change will make it more difficult to figure out which accounts are paid and which aren’t.

Since acquiring X (formerly Twitter) for $44 billion in October 2022, Musk has overseen a surge in hate content on the platform. He personally reinstated numerous accounts associated with right-wing, anti-LGBTQ+, and neo-Nazi ideologies, despite their prior bans. Musk himself has propagated transphobic rhetoric and embraced neo-Nazi conspiracy theories like the “Great Replacement Theory,” prompting major advertisers to withdraw their support. Consequently, X’s ad revenue has plummeted by 50%, with a potential further loss of $75 million as advertisers remain cautious. In response, Musk has lashed out at advertisers, instructing them to “f**k off” and pursuing legal action against watchdog organizations that have highlighted X’s issues with hate speech.

A report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) in March 2023 revealed that five accounts prominently promoting anti-LGBTQ+ “groomer” attacks on X generated up to $6.4 million annually in ad revenues for the platform.

According to the March 2023 CCDH report, tweets spreading anti-LGBTQ+ narratives accusing queer individuals of “grooming” children for abuse surged by 119% following Musk’s acquisition of the social media network.

In July 2023, Musk filed a lawsuit against the CCDH, claiming that their assertions were unfounded and aimed at damaging Twitter’s reputation and its digital advertising endeavors.

Imran Ahmed, founder and CEO of CCDH, remarked regarding Musk, “He’s legitimizing the notion that bigotry against Muslims, Jews, Black individuals, LGBTQ+ individuals is permissible, ordinary, and acceptable in society.”