X's first transparency report since Musk reveals a surprising contradiction

X (formerly Twitter) has released its first transparency report since its acquisition by billionaire Elon Musk in 2022.

Before Musk's buyout, the social media platform would release these reports every six months or so, covering content removals, content flagged by users, and government requests for information, according to a Wired report. The same material is also mentioned in the newly released report; however, this is a much shorter document compared to previous releases. Instead of 50 pages, the document is just 12 pages long (15 pages if you count the title page, brief introduction, and closing image).  

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The report kicks off by explaining X's newfound philosophy under the Musk era, that the platform's "policies and enforcement principles are grounded in human rights" with principles founded on "Freedom of Speech, not Freedom of Reach." For example, the Hateful Conduct numbers on the Enforcement Actions page reveal that nearly five million hateful posts were removed, but only 2,361 profiles were banned. 

Overall, details are scarce. The report breaks down the types of content X moderates and its corresponding actions. This includes child safety, harassment, self-harm, non-consensual nudity, and illegal services. 

For example, X claims it suspended over 460 million accounts that were filling the platform with spam. It removed almost two million pieces of violent content and made 370,588 reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

One of the more interesting aspects of the transparency report concerns government requests and removals. As Mashable points out, X has "championed for a more 'open' internet." The numbers, however, seem to contradict this mindset. In 2024, the platform received more than 18,000 government requests for information and complied with 52 percent of those cases.

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The previous transparency report -- from 2021 -- showed that Twitter "fielded 11,460 requests" and complied with 40.2 percent of them, suggesting a spike in government actions worldwide since Musk took over. 

We've covered  the most notable tidbits. If you're interested in how X has performed in recent years, the report is available for all to skim through on the X Transparency Center website.