X, formerly known as Twitter, has taken a step towards transparency by publishing its initial report on content moderation actions since Elon Musk’s takeover in October 2022. The report, released on Wednesday, covers the first half of the year and reveals some key figures.
X suspended nearly 5.3 million accounts, while over 10.6 million posts were removed or labeled for violating platform rules. ‘Hateful conduct’ was the most frequent reason for post removal, accounting for around 5 million instances. Other categories included ‘violent content’ (2.2 million) and ‘abuse and harassment’ (2.6 million).
This data contrasts with a previous report from April 2023, which indicated that 6.5 million pieces of content were removed in the first half of 2022. This represented a 29% increase from the second half of 2021.
X employs both machine learning and human review to enforce its policies. Automated systems either take action directly or escalate content to human moderators. The company claims that posts violating its policies account for less than 1% of all content on the platform.
The release of this transparency report comes at a critical time for X. The platform has been facing significant challenges since Musk’s acquisition, including a decline in active users, particularly in the UK. Daily active users in the UK dropped from 8 million to about 5.6 million over the past year, a decline accelerated after Musk’s controversial statements during summer riots.
Furthermore, X is experiencing a major advertiser exodus, with research by Kantar indicating a 26% decline in ad spending on the platform for 2025. This represents the largest withdrawal from any major global advertising platform, highlighting a significant drop in marketers’ trust in X since Musk’s takeover.
Despite these challenges, some industry analysts see potential in Musk’s updates to the platform. Pierre Ferragu, an analyst at New Street Research, praised a recent feature allowing users to add Community Notes to links, calling it revolutionary and comparing it to “Wikipedia to the power of infinity.”
However, criticism persists. Nick Clegg, Meta Platforms Inc.’s president for global affairs, criticized X as a “tiny” platform that allows “anyone to say anything,” expressing concerns about unregulated content and the presence of individuals banned from other platforms.
The transparency report offers a glimpse into X’s content moderation efforts, but it remains to be seen how the platform will navigate the challenges ahead to regain user trust and advertiser confidence in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
