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X Suspends Crypto Accounts Over Alleged $250K Content Theft
X suspended a network of accounts accused of stealing creators' content and extracting $250K from revenue sharing. Nikita Bier forwarded the case to law enforcement.
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X suspended a cluster of high-volume bitcoin and crypto accounts after an alleged operation that lifted other creators' content and pulled more than $250,000 from the platform's revenue-sharing program over roughly two years. The accounts were tied to a single operator using the handle @Vivek4real_.
Nikita Bier, who has played a central role in X's war against spam and low-quality content, said reports about the account reached him around Aug. 18. @Vivek4real_, operated under the name Vivek Sen, had roughly 270,000 followers. Bier said one person appeared to be running more than ten accounts and had drained X's revenue-sharing program of more than $250,000 over two years. He also said the case was being forwarded to law enforcement.
Suspensions followed quickly. Accounts identified in the cluster included @Bitcoin_Teddy, @BitcoinSapiens, @Kalshibacktest, @polybacktest and @saylordocs, the last associated with Documenting Saylor. X has not publicly revealed every account allegedly controlled by the operator.
The alleged playbook was simple. Videos and posts produced by journalists, Youtube creators and other X users were downloaded and uploaded again through larger accounts, sometimes after watermarks or other identifying material had been deliberately cropped away. X pays eligible creators partly from engagement their posts generate. In 2026 the company redirected more revenue toward original authors, creating a financial incentive for accounts to make recycled material appear original.
By spreading recycled content across multiple accounts, an operator could harvest millions of impressions without carrying the cost of original reporting, interviews or videos. The tactic also let large accounts compete against the people who created the material.
Gareth Jenkinson, head of multimedia at The Block, said he had confronted Vivek about reposting clips from his show without proper credit. Vivek argued the practice was a "net positive" because the extra exposure generated impressions for media personalities and companies. Tracing back to the source doesn't always carry, Jenkinson said.