In the latest of a long string of deregulated controversies, multiple social media platforms are facilitating the trade of weapons by dealers linked with Yemen’s Houthi militia group, new investigations have uncovered.
At least 68 arms dealers based in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, are openly using X, Telegram and other social media platforms to buy and sell Kalashnikovs, pistols, assault rifles, grenades, grenade launchers, and even rocket launchers.
On Elon Musk’s X, many of the Yemeni accounts display Houthi logos, regularly share Houthi propaganda and bear the blue tick of verification – increasing their exposure on the platform, The Times reported.
These dealers encourage potential buyers to message them on Telegram, WhatsApp or monetisation platform Patreon, where sales are completed in cryptocurrency.
Since the investigation’s release, X has suspended the accounts of some of the most prominent dealers, but several remain active.
Weapons sales violate X’s terms of service – but the company could be in breach of US law for failing to detect and prevent the sanctioned Houthi arms trade, with penalties including fines and removal from the US financial system.
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By GlobalDataThe Iranian-backed Houthis have carried out months of attacks on ships in the Red Sea, in what the armed group says is solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s continued onslaught.
Yesterday (23 August), the Houthis attacked a Greek-flagged tanker carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude oil which had “ties with the Israeli enemy”, according to Houthi spokesperson Ameen Hayyan.
A red line? Declining patience with Musk and Big Tech
Houthi-linked arms sales on X is far from the first instance of illegal arms sales on social media.
Despite bans by Meta, studies have shown that guns, ammunition, and weapon parts remain widely available on Facebook Marketplace and Instagram Shopping.
“Social media has become a major enabler and accelerator of business both legal and illegal,” says Tristan Sauer, senior defence analyst at GlobalData. “As criminal organisations become more tech savvy, they can reach massive audiences with little oversight on the more unrestricted social media platforms, be it to advertise drugs and weapons or intimidate rivals.”
While Musk claims freedom of speech as X’s raison d’être – and Telegram was partly built on pro-democracy movements under heavy censorship in Iran, Belarus, Myanmar, Hong Kong and Russia – such platforms are drastically spiralling into a cesspit of polarised, misinformative or illegal activity.
Amid widespread far-right riots across the UK at the start of August, social media played an inflammatory role in spreading racially-charged misinformation.
Politicians condemned Musk for fanning the flames himself after he posted on X that “civil war is inevitable” in the UK.
“The lack of accountability or regulation is a global issue that is being exploited heavily,” Sauer adds.
“The sale of weapons is forbidden on Telegram”, Telegram spokesperson Remi Vaughn tells Army Technology. “Moderators proactively monitor public parts of the platform, use sophisticated AI tools and accept user reports in order to remove millions of pieces of harmful content each day that breach Telegram’s terms of service.”
At the time of publishing, X and Meta had not responded to Army Technology requests for comment.
Note: this article has been updated from its original to include a comment from Telegram.
