Twitter Closed Thousands of Accounts Around the World For Spreading Fake News

Blocked accounts are in countries like the United Arab Emirates, China, and Spain.

Twitter has closed thousands of accounts around the world for spreading fake news as well as for propaganda. The blocked profiles are in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, China and Spain, according to BGNES.

Accounts coming from China aimed at sowing discord between protesters in Hong Kong and profiles with pro-Saudi messages coming from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates targeting Qatar and Yemen have been closed, the company added. Accounts spreading fake news have also been removed in Spain and Ecuador.

Earlier, Twitter reported that it had temporarily suspended the account of former Saudi royal court advisor Saud al-Qahtani, as well as 267 accounts originating in the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. Saud al-Qahtani, 41, was formally appointed an advisor to the royal court in 2012. A year ago, the advisor was removed from his post amid suspected involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Hashogi. He was sanctioned with a ban on entering the United States, along with 15 others suspected of involvement in the crime.

In October 2018, Saud al-Qahtani, was fired as a supervisor at the royal media court.