Overview
- X Head of Product Nikita Bier said Wednesday that the platform is implementing an auto-lock with verification for accounts that mention cryptocurrency for the first time.
- The lock would hold posting until the user completes extra checks, a step Bier says should remove most of the profit from taking over accounts to push tokens or links.
- The plan follows a new phishing wave that used fake copyright emails and pixel-perfect login pages to steal passwords and two-factor codes before blasting out scam content.
- Critics warn the system could temporarily sideline newcomers and journalists making a first crypto post, raising concerns about false positives and added friction.
- X frames the move as the next step after bot purges, tighter APIs, and past crackdowns that followed the 2020 breach when verified accounts were used for a fake bitcoin giveaway.