The Internet's Biggest Scam Just Got Exposed
November 26, 2025
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26:31Now PlayingThe Internet's Biggest Scam Just Got Exposed
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Over the weekend, Twitter descended into complete and utter chaos. Elon Musk rolled out a feature called “About This Account” that allowed people to click on the profile of an X user and see exactly what country the account was created in, where its user is currently based, and how many times the username has been changed.
Dozens of major accounts masquerading as “America First” or “MAGA” were identified as originating in places like India, Pakistan, Russia, or Nigeria, engagement farming to earn money through X's creator revenue program, available to those who purchase a blue check.
Charlie Warzel is host of the new Galaxy Brain podcast from The Atlantic, who has been covering this rollout. He joined me to discuss whether the "about this account" feature is truly 9/11 for pro MAGA accounts, how our internet is being warped by inauthentic activity, whether this signifies the end of the social web, and what comes next.
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Charlie's article in The Atlantic
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