US election: How X users make money with false information

Sharing posts on social media all day long – for some it sounds like a utopian dream job, for others it’s how they earn good money in the US election campaign. According to a recent “” report, X users are said to receive hundreds or even thousands of US dollars per month from the platform for posting and sharing political content – such as AI-generated images. The content therefore also contains fake news and conspiracy theories.

As the British broadcaster claims to have found out, networks consisting of dozens of accounts each are responsible for this. By sharing their content with each other, the profiles increased their reach. A mix of true, unsubstantiated and fake material is used.

The sharing of posts is coordinated in forums and group chats. “This is how we try to help each other,” the BBC quoted one user as saying. While some support Donald Trump and some support Kamala Harris, there are others who say they are independent.

The post states that X recently changed its policies so that the amount of payments to high-reach accounts now depends on the number of engagements (likes, shares, comments) with premium users. Previously, it was crucial how many advertisements could be seen under a post.

It is also possible to earn money from posts and shared content on other social media platforms. But most reserve the right to block users if they spread false information. X is known to be less strict here due to Elon Musk’s stance on freedom of expression.

According to the BBC, the posts circulated by the networks included claims of election fraud that authorities were able to disprove, as well as unsubstantiated allegations of pedophilia and sexual abuse against the presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The content also reached other social media and was distributed on Facebook and TikTok, for example.

The “BBC” has located the operator of the X network “Freedom Uncut” in Florida. The user, whose real name remains anonymous, spends up to 16 hours a day on the posts. In the last few months he has generated eleven million views with AI-generated images and other content about the US election. He is not one of the extreme users and describes himself as independent. However, it is said that he would rather see Donald Trump than Kamala Harris in the White House again.

Some of the content can be classified as satire: For example, Donald Trump as “The Matrix” character, how he stops bullets with his hand. Another post shows Joe Biden, who was still the Democratic presidential candidate at the time, as a “Hunger Games”-style dictator.

Other images are closer to life – and therefore possibly more dangerous. An AI creation shows a person who escaped to the roof of a house during a flood. Two fighter jets fly over it. The headline: “On November 5th, remember that politicians don’t care about you.” When Hurricane Helene recently hit North Carolina, Donald Trump claimed that no helicopters would come to rescue people. According to authorities, hundreds of people were rescued in 146 flight missions.

His pictures are “art,” says “Freedom Uncut.” He doesn’t want to deceive anyone, but rather stimulate conversations. According to his own statements, he earns a few thousand US dollars a month from his content on X. However, he knows users who earn a five-figure amount per month with it. He could calculate this based on the reach of their posts. “That’s the point at which it really becomes a job,” says the American.

Although he posts provocative content, it is usually linked to reality to a certain extent. This is not always the case with other profiles. They knowingly shared fake news to make money. According to “Freedom Uncut”, it is common for local politicians to contact such accounts and networks in order to win them over for election advertising and to outdo the competition. He himself has already been asked. “I think a lot of the support for Trump comes from that,” the BBC quoted him as saying.

There are also some networks that support Kamala Harris. A picture recently came into circulation that supposedly showed the Democrat as a McDonald’s employee at a young age. Close to the people. But the photo is fake.

A Harris supporter with a wide reach is the user “”, who has over 200,000 followers on X. She tells the “BBC” that on some days she posts or shares 100 posts. Individual posts have already reached up to two million users Susan, whose last name remains anonymous, spread harmless anti-Trump memes, but also unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about the assassination attempt on the Republican Donald Trump himself, she claims.

Supposedly she makes a little money – a few hundred US dollars a month – just through her blue tick, the verification on X. “Brown Eyed Susan” was also contacted by politicians. According to her own statement, she is trying to spread as much attention as possible for her. The new X guidelines make this easier for you and many others. Even if not all of the information spread is correct.