https://techcrunch.com/2024/04/11/ccdh-hate-influencer-study/

A few weeks after defeating Elon Musk’s attempt to silence it in court, anti-hate research nonprofit, the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), is back with a new piece of research into Musk’s social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The study builds on earlier work investigating his impact on online speech by spotlighting how policy changes Musk enacted are actively rewarding hate speech posters with increased reach, engagement and even direct payouts through X’s subscriber feature.

The latest CCDH research takes the form of a case study looking at growth rates for ten influential accounts which are paying for X Premium and have posted anti-Jewish and/or anti-Muslim hate speech since the Israel-Gaza conflict sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Some of the accounts pivoted to war hate posts after previously posting COVID-19-related conspiracy theory content, per the report.