Twitter Minimized Saudi Spy Infiltration, New Emails Show

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the effective ruler of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has ruthlessly pursued critics of his government, especially those spreading dissent on social media.

The effort has included the alleged hacking of dissident phones, the scheduled execution of a retired Saudi teacher for airing criticism on YouTube and Whatsapp, and the gruesome murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, whose online critiques of the KSA led to his dismemberment.

Twitter, now known as "X,” was a central target of the Saudi government's efforts. 

The government, through a social media public relations firm called Smaat Co., recruited a team of spies and a vast bot network to manipulate Twitter. Former Twitter employees were allegedly bribed to gain illicit access to the personal information of anonymous Twitter accounts critical of Salman.