The Tech Transparency Project is a research initiative of Campaign for Accountability that investigates the power, influence, & impact of Big Tech. https://www.techtransparencyproject.orghttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3ml7i72jwj22tThis week, X stripped the blue check from the account of Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. This comes months after a TTP report identified his account as one of many blue-check accounts for Iranian gov officials subject to US sanctions.06 May 2026 19:55 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7i72jwj22thttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3mk4bgejfrk2sNEW: HHS Secretary RFK Jr. is a new and prominent cheerleader for the use of health-monitoring wearables like the Apple Watch. A TTP report details how this turnaround coincides with extensive lobbying efforts by Apple and trade groups. https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/apple-seeks-boost-from-kennedys-hhs-congress-on-watch-sales22 Apr 2026 19:50 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk4bgejfrk2shttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3mjksy3ch5c2gNEW: Apple and Google ban “nudify” apps, but a new TTP report shows that their app stores direct users to them. https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/apple-and-google-are-steering-users-to-nudify-apps15 Apr 2026 21:16 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjksy3ch5c2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3mhqshmb24k2dNEW: @aarp.org bulletin digs into the danger of online scams that are increasingly made worse by the growing role of AI. The article includes an examination of TTP’s research on the prevalence of deepfake scam ads on Meta platforms targeting older Americans.23 Mar 2026 19:33 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhqshmb24k2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3mfcinmxl622pNEW: Following TTP’s August 2025 report on how Meta funds and uses groups like the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to help shift the narrative around its products’ impact on kids, the PTA has announced an end to its Meta partnership—citing “heightened public scrutiny.”20 Feb 2026 16:10 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfcinmxl622phttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3meogqzhzdk2pNEW: Elon Musk has signaled support for the recent anti-government protests in Iran. But a TTP investigation shows that X appears to be providing premium service to an array of Iranian officials and state-controlled media organizations that have been targeted by U.S. sanctions. https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/iranian-officials-get-premium-treatment-on-x-amid-protester-crackdown12 Feb 2026 16:42 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3meogqzhzdk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3memgvpotgs25NEW: Online social casinos and sweepstakes casino games can leave users deeply in debt. A new TTP report details how Facebook—a leading platform for these games—helps attract and hook players while collecting a slice of the revenue for itself. https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/how-facebook-profits-from-predatory-casino-games11 Feb 2026 21:40 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3memgvpotgs25https://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3mdls4ypbxk2iUpdate: After TTP informed Apple and Google of the dozens of “nudify” apps in their stores, both companies removed many of them. Apple took down 27, Google 31. But the swift takedown—and tacit admission the apps broke store rules—raises serious questions about their approval processes.29 Jan 2026 22:03 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdls4ypbxk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3mdfy4mglss2lNEW: Apple and Google ban apps that create sexualized images. But a new TTP report found dozens of “nudify” apps in the companies’ stores that can digitally remove the clothes from women, rendering them naked or in scant clothing. https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/nudify-apps-widely-available-in-apple-and-google-app-stores27 Jan 2026 14:34 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mdfy4mglss2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3md4ig5hc3s2oAs Meta touts a new policy today to keep Teen Accounts safe, let’s not forget that even with its purported tight controls, harmful content still finds its way through. A TTP report last year found that this even included extremely violent fight content.23 Jan 2026 19:59 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3md4ig5hc3s2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3mcd22xrtwk2iOn Apple and Google’s failure to police their own app store rules, @lopatto.bsky.social notes that Apple’s promise to “protect” users is its basis for justifying its monopolistic control of the store. Yet Apple still fails, as TTP's recent report on apps for sanctioned entities demonstrated.13 Jan 2026 17:06 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mcd22xrtwk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3mam5abs5kc2jA judge rejected the appeal of an anti-government extremist who argued that his "boogaloo boi" Facebook activity shouldn't have been used to convict him in the 2020 killing of a federal officer. As TTP research showed, the boogaloo movement is inextricably linked to such activity.22 Dec 2025 21:06 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mam5abs5kc2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3m7nejxaec223NEW: Apple’s App Store hosts dozens of apps for U.S.-sanctioned entities, including Russian banks propping up Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and a Chinese paramilitary group linked to human rights abuses. TTP also found a smaller number in the Google Play Store (18 vs Apple’s 52).10 Dec 2025 15:24 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7nejxaec223https://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3m7as3sr7jk2sIn a new podcast, @thestar.com reporters Ben Mussett and Omar Mosleh talk about their report into Meta drug ads that led to them receiving cocaine and oxycodone in the mail. TTP’s research has shown the frequency of these ads, and their reporting paints a shocking picture of the real-world harm.05 Dec 2025 15:22 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3m7as3sr7jk2shttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3m6flhtbrdc2eNew court filings show that when a former Instagram exec joined the company in 2020, she was shocked at the company’s lax approach to sex trafficking activity and child safety. That same year, a TTP report documented how Facebook was widely used by predators to target children.24 Nov 2025 19:42 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3m6flhtbrdc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3m52wdvqdi22qThese revelations follow a TTP report from last month which showed scammers spending millions on Facebook ads that use deepfake videos of President Trump, AOC, Bernie Sanders, Elon Musk, and other political figures to hawk fake government benefits. https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/meta-awash-in-deepfake-scam-ads [contains quote post or other embedded content]07 Nov 2025 20:32 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3m52wdvqdi22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lxcoi6hcsc2hNEW: Meta is using a range of influence tactics to counter growing concerns that social media platforms like Instagram can be harmful to teens’ health and safety. https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/inside-metas-spin-machine-on-kids-and-social-media26 Aug 2025 14:01 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxcoi6hcsc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lwekrsqufc2cNEW: a TTP report reveals how Google—which at one time spent the most on lobbying of any U.S. corporation—employed an obscure legal strategy that reduced the amount of lobbying spending it discloses under federal law by removing executive lobbying from disclosures.14 Aug 2025 14:35 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwekrsqufc2chttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lwcc6i5ogc2xCrypto miners and data centers got sweetheart energy deals in Texas, premised on the idea that boosted grid capacity could serve the state by being redirected in times of crisis. But now that a new law is set to make some emergency shutoffs mandatory, the industry has concerns.13 Aug 2025 16:56 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwcc6i5ogc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lvvn4di4uc2vICYMI: TTP recently published an update to our Big Tech Funding Database, which serves as a one-stop-shop for information on what third-party groups receive funding from Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple.08 Aug 2025 16:07 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvvn4di4uc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lve5oiu4gs2qNEW: Google has sharply reduced its support for nonprofit groups devoted to diversity, equity, and inclusion, in what appears to be another sign that the company is falling in line with President Trump’s anti-DEI crusade, TTP has found.01 Aug 2025 17:15 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lve5oiu4gs2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lv7ftczopc2yYesterday, @everytown.bsky.social published a new report investigating “YouTube’s New Efforts to Stop Gun Sales.” Before auditing the enforcement of YouTube’s gun sale linking policy, Everytown cites past research into the platform’s promotion of gun content, including a 2023 TTP report.30 Jul 2025 19:58 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lv7ftczopc2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lv4jg3icj22kRecently, TikToker Sarah Palmyra recounted an incident where police stopped her Uber driver, only to reveal he was driving under a false identity. In April, TTP exposed dozens of Facebook groups where users openly bought and rented Uber driver accounts under other people’s IDs.29 Jul 2025 16:24 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lv4jg3icj22khttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lrgbsy4oks2uNEW: Apple and Google’s app stores continue to offer VPNs that are surreptitiously owned by Chinese companies, over 6 weeks after TTP first identified them. The latest findings also show Apple and Google may be profiting from these apps by taking a cut of subscription revenue.12 Jun 2025 15:54 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lrgbsy4oks2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lqskz5drlk22Today, @warren.senate.gov sent a letter to Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent and Sec. of State Marco Rubio asking whether Treasury officials have taken any action after TTP’s recent report revealed that a number of U.S.-sanctioned terrorists appear to have paid, premium accounts on Elon Musk's X.04 Jun 2025 19:45 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqskz5drlk22https://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lp7wvmokbs2qNEW: TTP found premium blue checkmark accounts for multiple terrorists and others under OFAC-enforced sanctions. Some of these accounts even had an “ID verified” badge, requested tips, and offered subscriptions. 🧵 https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/u.s.-sanctioned-terrorists-enjoy-premium-boost-on-x15 May 2025 16:32 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lp7wvmokbs2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lo74kiuvns2cAs @ajdellinger.com wrote this week in @gizmodo.com, Bitcoin mining is more expensive than ever. Yet, that doesn't mean some of the biggest mining operators can't still get rich -- thanks, in part, to deals some struck to do nothing more than sell the energy they buy back to the grid at a mark-up.02 May 2025 15:16 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lo74kiuvns2chttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lne4gbodfk2jNotably, two of the lawyers representing Uber are former FTC chair Tim Muris and former FTC commissioner Christine Wilson. This revolving door activity would be shocking, if it wasn't so common. A 2019 @publiccitizen.bsky.social study found *over 3/4* top FTC officials had revolving door conflicts. [contains quote post or other embedded content]21 Apr 2025 21:31 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lne4gbodfk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/ttp-updates.bsky.social/post/3lmroxeuxfk2pA new TTP investigation found dozens of black market Facebook groups where users can buy or rent Uber driver accounts. This illicit trade not only violates Meta’s policies against fraud, but it also puts passengers and customers at risk. https://www.techtransparencyproject.org/articles/for-sale-on-facebook-fraudulent-uber-driver-accounts14 Apr 2025 13:42 +0000at://did:plc:o7l3zazbh7w4w3oop7zsbhzj/app.bsky.feed.post/3lmroxeuxfk2p