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X is cracking down on content thieves

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X is reallocating impressions from reposts to original creators to combat content theft and protect its creator revenue-share program.

X is cracking down on content thieves
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The Big Picture

X, led by product head Nikita Bier, is cracking down on accounts that programmatically reupload content from smaller creators to profit from the platform's revenue-share program. The platform now identifies such reposts and allocates impressions entirely to the original creator, ensuring they receive payment instead of aggregators. Bier recommends using 'Share Video' or 'Quote' features for proper attribution. He specifically called out Mario Nawfal, a large account with 3.5 million followers, for stealing a video without credit, noting Nawfal's revenue was already reduced by 90%. This move is part of X's broader effort to reduce payouts for aggregators and support original content creators.

Why It Matters

X's crackdown on content aggregators directly targets the platform's creator economy, where reposting viral content for profit has undermined original creators. By reallocating impressions to original posters, X aims to incentivize authentic content creation over parasitic repackaging, but the move also risks alienating large accounts that drive engagement. This shift reflects a broader industry tension between rewarding originality and maintaining the viral loops that fuel social media growth.

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A graphic depicting a thief in a file folder
A graphic depicting a thief in a file folder
X is reallocating impressions from reposts to the original creators to crackdown on aggregators.

Richard Drury/Getty Images

  • X's head of product, Nikita Bier, said the platform is cracking down on copycat creators.
  • These users are "programmatically reuploading content from smaller accounts" for profit, he said.
  • Bier says to use "Share Video" or "Quote" for proper attribution and to support original creators.

X is introducing new strategies to rein in its copycat economy.

Elon Musk's social media platform is now cracking down on large accounts that have been "programmatically reuploading content from smaller accounts" to game its creator revenue-share program, X's head of product, Nikita Bier, said.

That program lets eligible creators earn money from engagement on the platform, which has also created an incentive for some accounts to rapidly repost or repackage viral content before the original creator gets the credit.

Over the past month, we have identified a number of large accounts that have been programmatically reuploading content from smaller accounts to game the revenue share program and circumvent crediting the original author.

We are now identifying these posts and allocating the…

— Nikita Bier (@nikitabier) May 23, 2026

Bier said X is now identifying those posts and "allocating the impressions entirely to the creator," an effort aimed at making sure original posters — not aggregators — get paid.

For posts with added commentary, Bier recommended using X's "Share Video" or "Quote" feature to ensure attribution goes to the original creator.

The move is part of a broader push by X to reduce payouts for aggregators, whose business model has often depended on rapidly repackaging other people's work for monetizable engagement.

Bier singled out one of the platform's most prolific posters on Saturday. Mario Nawfal is the CEO of IBC Group, a crypto consulting firm. He also hosts the largest live discussion show on X and has some 3.5 million followers.

Nawfal reposted a video of an ABC News journalist reacting to gunshots fired outside the White House on Saturday. A community note below the post now reads, "OP stole this video without providing credit."

"Please do not reupload the author's video: use Quote or Video Reshare," Bier added. "Your revenue was reduced by 90% last cycle and we're running out of room to reduce it more."

Nawfal replied that his account always uses the video reshare option, but it doesn't work for longer tweets.

That response now also has a community note: "No he doesnt. Here are additional examples just from the last few hours," the note says, listing three other posts that don't provide credit. "Chronic content thief."

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