Arms dealers connected to the Houthi militants in Yemen are actively utilizing X and Meta platforms to engage in the trafficking of weapons, including some of which are US-made and in apparent violation of the companies’ policies, as a report has disclosed.
The Houthi, an Iran-backed rebel group controlling significant parts of Yemen since 2014 and designated as a terrorist organization by the USA, Canada, and other countries, are at the heart of this operation.
A report by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), an organization based in Washington D.C. that focuses on ensuring big tech companies are held accountable, revealed that Houthi-affiliated arms dealers have been visibly conducting commercial weapon sales on these platforms for months or even years.
The report uncovers that these dealers have been operating overt commercial weapon stores on both platforms, offering high-powered rifles, grenade launchers, and other military equipment for sale. Many advertised weapons were US-made and bore markings such as “Property of the US Govt,” alongside other Western military equipment branded with “Nato.”
Although Meta (owner to WhatsApp) and X prohibit arms dealing on their platforms, many of the identified dealers were subscribers to X Premium and users of WhatsApp Business – services which are subject to moderation.
Katie Paul, director of TTP, commented that despite X and WhatsApp having policies against weapon sales, they are allowing arms traders linked to a US-designated terrorist group to operate freely on their platforms. This, she said, may at times even profit the companies themselves, creating risks to US national security.
Over half of the X accounts had listed their location as Sana’a, the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen, and many routinely shared pro-Houthi content. Some sellers offered weapons in packaging marked with the Houthi logo or displaying slogans against the US, Israel, and Jews.
Several accounts were found to be using X Premium features and in some cases, interacting with Elon Musk himself when he posted content on the platform. X has rules against individuals or groups promoting illicit activities of terrorist organizations and denies them access to premium services.
WhatsApp, on the other hand, has a process for reviewing business account profiles and the images before they are added to catalogs. However, it is unclear how the review process failed to catch and remove the arms dealers’ accounts.
A WhatsApp spokesperson stated that if the service becomes aware of or identifies US-designated terrorist organizations using their service, they will take appropriate action, including banning accounts, to meet their legal obligations. They have since banned two accounts that the Guardian had flagged.
TTP’s report also raises concerns about arms smuggling to Houthi-held territories in Yemen, suggesting that the weapons may have originated from various sources, including US weapons possibly diverted more recently and smuggled through the Gulf and other regions. Non-US weapons also reach Yemen through established regional trafficking routes and directly from the group’s allies such as Iran.
This has prompted measures from the US, such as sanctions imposed this year on a Houthi arms smuggling network accused of procuring weapons from Russia with the help of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/16/houthi-linked-dealers-sell-arms-on-x-and-whatsapp-report-says
