TL;DR
A columnist argues that X (formerly Twitter) has shifted from a public platform into an infrastructure of political power centered on a small elite. Recent events — including a Grok update that enables mass generation of sexualized images and a US operation where X feeds appeared in a situation room — illustrate how governments are reluctant to confront the company.
What happened
The author contends that X has ceased to function primarily as a neutral social platform and now operates as a coordination infrastructure for a political and economic elite the piece calls the 'neo-royalty.' Recent developments cited include a Grok update that enables on-demand, high-volume generation of sexualized images of women and children, and images from a US military operation in Caracas (Jan. 3) showing an X feed on a situation-room screen while senior officials monitored the raid. Political leaders have publicly condemned the harms but, according to the author, stopped short of taking effective enforcement action. Alternative open networks such as Mastodon and Bluesky previously attracted users in reaction to X's decline, but the author argues that those platforms cannot displace X now because the issue is about concentrated power, not simply platform features or moderation quality. The piece outlines three possible geopolitical outcomes depending on whether any government acts against X.
Why it matters
- If X functions as an infrastructure of power, its influence extends beyond users on the platform to state actors and international affairs.
- The emergence of tools that can generate sexualized images at scale introduces serious societal and safety harms that public denunciations alone may not address.
- Governments’ reluctance to confront X risks normalizing an environment where online harms persist and political power is consolidated on a single service.
- Open social networks may be unable to shift political influence merely by offering better moderation or experience if the underlying power dynamics remain unchanged.
Key facts
- The commentary was published in January 2026 as part of Fediverse Report #148.
- The author reports a Grok update that can generate sexualized images of women and children rapidly and at scale.
- On January 3, US forces conducted an operation in Caracas; images later showed an X feed visible in a situation room during the raid, and the author reports at least 80 people were killed.
- The author says Elon Musk reacted to complaints about the image-generation issue with a crying-laughing emoji, and politicians publicly condemned the feature.
- The piece frames X as the coordination platform for a small network of political, capital, and tech elites described as the 'neo-royalty.'
- Mastodon and Bluesky are described as earlier alternative social networks that focused on federation and user control, respectively.
- Signup waves to alternative platforms that followed earlier controversies subsided by 2025, according to the author.
- The author lays out three possible outcomes: no government acts; one government acts and faces heavy retaliation; or one government acts and others follow, creating broader enforcement.
- The column was supported by a grant from the NLnet foundation and published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What to watch next
- Whether any government will initiate meaningful enforcement actions against X — not confirmed in the source.
- Whether coordinated enforcement by multiple countries will materialize and allow alternatives to gain political legitimacy — not confirmed in the source.
Quick glossary
- Fediverse: A collection of interconnected, federated social networks where instances run independently but communicate using shared protocols.
- CSAM: Child Sexual Abuse Material — any representation of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor; illegal in most jurisdictions.
- NCII: Non-Consensual Intimate Images — private sexual images shared without the subject’s consent, often used to harass or extort.
- Neo-royalty: A term used by the author to describe a small network of political, financial and tech elites who coordinate power and influence.
Reader FAQ
Does the article say X is creating illicit images?
The author reports a Grok update that enables mass generation of sexualized images of women and children; details about legality and specific content are described as a serious harm in the piece.
Are governments taking action against X?
According to the author, politicians have publicly condemned the harms but have not undertaken meaningful enforcement; many governments appear reluctant to confront X.
Can Mastodon or Bluesky replace X as a political hub?
The author argues that better moderation or product quality alone will not displace X because the issue is about concentrated power rather than platform features.
Did a US operation in Caracas involve X?
The author reports that photos from a January 3 operation showed an X feed visible in a situation room during the raid.
X Is a Power Problem, Not a Platform Problem January 9, 2026 Fediverse Report #148: X is not a just platform problem anymore, it's a power problem, and why you…
Sources
- X Is a Power Problem, Not a Platform Problem
- From Petro-Power to Platform Power:
- Global governance according to Xi Jinping
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