X suppresses reach of accounts criticizing Musk, report says
According to The New York Times analysis, far-right accounts that criticized Elon Musk over visa policy in December 2024 experienced dramatic drops in reach and engagement on X, with one account losing an estimated $50,000 in platform revenue. The suppression occurred despite Musk's stated commitment to free speech, raising questions about whether the platform's algorithm was manipulated based on personal grievances.
What happened
Three far-right accounts that publicly disagreed with Elon Musk over his stance on visa programs for skilled workers in December 2024 subsequently saw their engagement 'practically vanish overnight', according to The New York Times analysis.
Laura Loomer's average daily views dropped from over 200,000 in late December to around 50,000 in early January, and she lost access to X Premium for a short period, affecting her ability to earn from the platform's revenue-sharing program. Anastasia Maria Loupis saw her reach drop from over 200,000 average daily views to the low tens of thousands in early January.
Loomer was also briefly stripped of her 'verified' status. Loupis created a new account to test whether suppression was targeting her established account specifically and found the new account received far more engagement.
Reported impact
Loomer estimated she lost approximately $50,000 from X during the suppression period due to lost monetization from X Premium and the revenue-sharing program.
Loomer told The Times: 'I think it's wrong to say it's a free speech platform and then shut off people's ability to monetize.'
Index analysis
X has not publicly explained the reach collapse or confirmed whether algorithmic suppression was applied to these accounts. The Times noted that X's algorithms controlling post distribution are not public.
The correlation between the users' criticism of Musk and their subsequent reach drops raised questions about whether suppression was based on personal preference, contradicting Musk's 2022 promise to unleash free speech on the platform.
Governance controls
No governance controls or external oversight mechanisms are reported to have addressed the incident. Ari Cohn from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression stated: 'This is working against the type of environment that he (Musk) claimed he wanted to build.'
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
This record was researched and written by the Index from original reporting. Its sources are still being verified by an editor, and they are listed here once that check is complete. Until then the record carries no reviewer.