X Demonetizes Accounts for Stolen Videos, Tightens Rules

X’s head of product, Nikita Bier, announced on Friday the demonetization of a major account with close to 2 million followers, Disclose.tv, for reposting a video of a Blue Origin rocket crash originally captured by Spaceflight Now photographer Adam Bernstein and removing his watermark. This action is part of X’s broader effort to clamp down on popular accounts exploiting the platform’s monetization system by flooding timelines with unoriginal or stolen content. Disclose.tv, which identifies itself as a Germany-based news aggregator sourcing videos from popular outlets, has been described by Politifact as a “fake news” entity.

Bier revealed last week that X has been identifying large accounts systematically re-uploading content from smaller creators to manipulate revenue sharing, and as a corrective measure, impressions generated by such posts will be redirected back to the original content creators. X’s monetization program rewards users with substantial followings who post widely viewed content, but it has faced criticism for enabling low-quality and recycled content to dominate.

Earlier this week, Bier also demonetized another account with over 4 million followers, @Rainmaker1973, for similarly reposting thousands of videos from smaller creators without credit. The account denied the allegations, claiming small creators had asked for reposts to gain visibility. Additionally, a user named Dominick McGee, known as Dom Lucre and followed by 1.7 million people, was demonetized for reposting AI-generated war footage. McGee, who has a history of sharing misinformation and conspiracy theories, previously earned around $55,000 annually from X, according to the New York Times.

X’s monetization program requires creators to have more than 2,000 followers and at least 5 million impressions in the past three months, along with adherence to content standards that prohibit monetization of deceptive, illegal, or recycled content and restrict earnings from posts involving sexual content, violence, or hate speech. In March, X introduced a new policy banning monetization of AI-generated posts related to armed conflicts, responding to a surge in such content about the Iran war.

The monetization initiative has faced backlash for encouraging the spread of “engagement bait” and low-quality posts. Reports have highlighted how some users profit from content designed to provoke outrage, misinformation, and conspiracy theories. X’s recent enforcement actions reflect a growing push to preserve the integrity of its creator revenue sharing and support original content producers.