Shocker! Houthi-linked dealers are now selling weapons on X, WhatsApp

Shocker! Houthi-linked dealers are now selling weapons on X, WhatsApp

A report has revealed that arms dealers linked to Yemen's Houthi militants are using social media platforms X and WhatsApp for weapon trafficking.

The Tech Transparency Project (TTP), a Washington DC-based organization focused on holding big tech accountable, found 130 Yemen-based X accounts and 67 WhatsApp accounts selling military-grade weapons.

These include high-powered rifles and grenade launchers, some of which appear to be US-made.

X and WhatsApp have policies against weapons sales

Despite X and WhatsApp's policies against arms dealing, these platforms have been unable to curb the illegal trade.

The TTP report highlights that many of these dealers were subscribed to X Premium and used WhatsApp Business services, which are meant to be moderated.

Katie Paul, Director of TTP, said, "X and WhatsApp both have policies against weapons sales but they are allowing arms traders linked to a US-designated terrorist group."

'Unboxing video' of machine gun posted

Some of the identified accounts used X's tip feature for direct donations and subscribed to X Premium for extended video posts. One account posted an "unboxing" video of an American M249 SAW light machine gun. Despite these violations, X has not commented on TTP's findings.

What's WhatsApp's take on this?

Similarly, WhatsApp's review process also failed to catch the illegal listings on its platform at first.

Now, the company has banned two accounts identified by the Guardian but did not explain how its review process initially missed these accounts.

A spokesperson for WhatsApp said they take appropriate action against US-designated terrorist organizations using their service, to comply with legal obligations.

Meta has rolled back content moderation policies

Meta has rolled back content moderation policies after laying off thousands of employees, many of whom were dedicated to safety.

This decision came after US President Donald Trump's complaints about censorship on social media platforms.

The TTP report found most Houthi-affiliated arms dealers' accounts were created after these layoffs.

Paul said both Meta and X have the resources to address this issue but aren't doing so.

Questions raised about global arms smuggling

The TTP report also raises questions about global arms smuggling.

Conflict Armament Research's Taimur Khan said it is difficult to trace how US-made weapons reached Houthi-controlled areas.

Some weapons may have been seized from the Yemeni government forces before 2014, or trafficked from the US to Yemen through various routes.

Non-American weapons are also smuggled into Yemen through regional trafficking routes and supplied directly via allies like Iran.