We should support global campaign against hiding identities on social media 
The feature recently activated by the X platform, which made the geographic location of its users’ accounts visible to everyone, has exposed many people. It revealed individuals who claim to be Saudi men or women while, in reality, they hold non-Saudi nationalities and run their accounts from foreign countries — among them Turkiye, Britain, Yemen, Canada, the US, some European and Gulf countries, and others in North Africa.
Most of these individuals discuss internal issues in the Kingdom or address its economic and political topics, providing misleading and false information to their followers. The situation has reached the point of offending Saudi women by using their names and surnames in female accounts that post indecent content. All of this aims to create problems within Saudi society for self-interested reasons.
In my opinion, the problem with false or fabricated news is that exposing it and revealing those behind it will not be effective without delving into its details. Doing so would offer free amusement to its creators, increase its popularity, and make the matter more complicated.
What happened on X is not new; it is part of an international campaign against hiding identities on social media, led by global figures, foremost among them UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron, who was affected by fabricated news in the 2017 elections.
Most fake accounts on social media, particularly on X, operate through what is known as “phone farms.” One example is the “SIM Kartel” operation conducted by European police in Latvia, in cooperation with Austria, Estonia, and Finland, on Oct. 10, 2025, as part of investigations into 1,700 electronic fraud cases. It resulted in the arrest of seven individuals who were running a large network of social media accounts that reached 49 million accounts.
Authorities found 1,200 “Simbox” devices containing 40,000 SIM cards purchased legally from 80 countries that do not require linking the SIM card to identity, unlike the Kingdom. These were used to operate and manage millions of accounts through trained and programmed artificial intelligence robots. These robots automatically create fake accounts and interact and argue with people in ways that do not differ from ordinary individuals. The criminal network, before being dismantled, succeeded in spreading false news, creating crises, and carrying out large-scale electronic fraud.
Digital identity is pivotal issue in combating terrorism, organized crime, drug trafficking
Dr. Bader bin Saud
This is known as sixth-generation warfare because artificial intelligence has become a party to it. It has been developed to control views, likes, and reposts according to the preferences of its user — whether an individual, a criminal organization, or a security agency. The list of beneficiaries is long, but what is certain is that the exaggerated numbers associated with social media posts are driven by providers of these services to manufacture trends and manipulate others’ positions and viewpoints, in partnership with the platform’s own algorithms, which determine what is highlighted and what is marginalized according to its priorities and what it seeks to promote and emphasize.
There is no doubt that what X has done has enhanced its transparency and integrity. However, the platform had, in late 2022, verified many accounts without checking their owners’ identities, giving them undeserved legitimacy and contributing, intentionally or not, to the creation of fake identities. If subscription fees are necessary and important, the platform should assign a new color distinguishing paying users from others who have met the verification standards used on other social media platforms.
An example of verified fake accounts on X is an account under the name of the Russian Army that constantly attacks Pakistan. After the geolocation feature it became clear that it was operated from India. This reminds me of another account belonging to a female figure claiming to be a Saudi lawyer collaborating with the UN, named Nouf bint Hamad, who allegedly had an office in Riyadh and held a professorship in law.
She threatened to file cases with the Public Prosecution and Interpol against players, writers, and influencers. The paid verification badge gave her credibility and led more than 170 newspapers — local, Arab, and international — to rely on her as a trusted news source and report on the issues she presented on her account. The mask then fell, revealing that the account was posting from Switzerland, belonged to a non-Saudi individual, and that its information was completely fabricated. The account was shut down.
Those who believe that what X has done is a violation of privacy are focusing on a very narrow angle or are perhaps trying to protect their future plans. What happened must be taken seriously, because digital identity is a pivotal issue in combating terrorism, organized crime, and drug trafficking. I hope that X, in the interest of electronic justice, will not equate victims with perpetrators or grant legitimacy to anonymous individuals and identity impersonators — merchants of death and creators of various schemes — merely for obtaining a handful of dollars.
• Dr. Bader bin Saud is a columnist for Al-Riyadh newspaper, a media and knowledge management researcher, an expert and university professor in crowd management and strategic planning, and the former deputy commander of the Special Forces for Hajj and Umrah in Saudi Arabia. X: @BaderbinSaud
