Nikita Bier, the Head of Product at X (formerly Twitter), has accused the Chinese government of using “pornographic spam” to drown out real-time information on the platform during times of political unrest.
The allegations come as users report major disruptions to the platform’s search function, especially concerning Chinese-language content and news about regional protests.
Disrupting the information flow
Bier addressed the problem directly in response to growing user frustration over “broken” search results. He stated that the flood of explicit content is a tactic by Beijing to stop citizens from getting uncensored updates.
“The Chinese government floods X search results with porn whenever there is political unrest to prevent their citizens from finding out real-time information,” Bier said. He recognised the technical challenges this campaign has caused for the platform and added, “This has been a difficult problem to solve, but we are aware and working on it.”
Chinese search on X is broken. It’s filled with spam and illicit ads, making it impossible to find useful info. Also, when using the ‘from:’ filter to search my own posts, many from the last 48 hours are missing from the results.
Users report ‘impossible’ search conditions
The controversy began when an X user tagged both Bier and Elon Musk, describing a total breakdown of the platform’s search system. The user mentioned that Chinese-language searches are currently “filled with spam and illicit ads,” making it nearly impossible to find trustworthy information or even see recent posts.
The user warned that the rise in Chinese-speaking users makes fixing these indexing and spam issues an “urgent matter” for keeping users.
Scepticism and backlash follow allegations
Bier’s comments have sparked mixed reactions from the global community. While some users compared the alleged bot activity to “digital book burning,” others quickly asked for proof.
Supporters: Many users shared concerns about the sophistication of the bot networks. One commenter pointed out that mobilising millions of accounts to clutter results is like “burying scholars” in the modern age.
Critics: Other responses sharply challenged Bier’s claims. A Chinese journalist rejected his narrative, labelling the accusations as “B.S.” and arguing that the actual issue is the “shadowbanning” of genuine Chinese accounts on the platform.
As of press time, X has not provided technical data or a formal report to support the connection between the spam surge and Chinese state actors.
