X Lawsuit Targets Fake Engagement: What It Means for Creators

Max Simonsson profile image Max Simonsson 2 min
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X, formerly Twitter, has taken legal action against individuals accused of manipulating its creator payment system. The lawsuit targets an alleged network of Bitcoin-focused accounts that faked engagement to claim significant payouts. This move coincides with X’s overhaul of its creator rewards program, shifting focus from sheer engagement to original content. The company aims to protect its platform and ensure fair earnings for genuine creators, highlighting a new era for how online influence is valued.

X has filed a lawsuit in the High Court of England and Wales, accusing Vivek Kumar Sen and Zamyang Sherpa of running a coordinated operation with six accounts. These accounts, including @Vivek4real_ and @Bitcoin_Teddy, allegedly faked engagement by posting near-identical crypto headlines seconds apart, then having other handles like, reply to, and repost the material. This scheme created a "false appearance of genuine, human communication and interaction," according to X.

The company claims the alleged scheme netted at least £207,384 (about $278,000) for the individuals. X's general counsel, James Burnham, confirmed the legal action, stating the company "will act forcefully to protect our platform and the earnings of genuine creators" Gizmodo. Elon Musk himself emphasized, "Don’t mess with 𝕏."

This legal challenge comes as X has fundamentally changed how it pays creators. The previous Creator Revenue Sharing program, launched in mid-2023, based payouts on post engagement, which reportedly led to widespread content recycling and replies designed purely to farm reactions. X has now retired this model, replacing it with "Original Content Rewards."

The new system, which began on September 8, is much stricter. Payouts now depend solely on qualified impressions, meaning unique views from Premium subscribers where at least half the post is visible, and replies no longer contribute. Importantly, copied posts, reuploaded media, and reposts without significant original changes are explicitly excluded. Allegra Jacchia, a senior product manager for Creators at SpaceXAI, which oversees X’s product and AI work, stated the goal is to reward those who offer original ideas, not those who merely game the system.

This lawsuit, therefore, isn't just about a few crypto accounts. It represents X's determination to put a financial cost on past abuses and send a clear message as its new, stricter reward system takes effect.