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Washington: Hackers broke into the X account of Sesame Street character Elmo and posted antisemitic and racist messages, the makers of the children’s TV show said.
The posts first appeared on Sunday and have been deleted. They called for violence against Jews, insulted US President Donald Trump and demanded the release of government files on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged clientele.
Elmo, a cheerful red Muppet created in 1979 but eternally 3½, has more than 650,000 followers on X.
Elmo, a cheerful red Muppet created in 1979 but eternally 3½, has more than 650,000 followers on X.Credit: AP
“Elmo’s X account was briefly compromised by an unknown hacker who posted disgusting messages, including antisemitic and racist posts,” Sesame Workshop said in a statement, adding the account had since been secured.
X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
X came under scrutiny last week when the account of the Grok chatbot developed by billionaire Elon Musk’s company xAI produced content with antisemitic tropes. The posts were subsequently removed and called “inappropriate” by Grok’s X account.
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Since Musk bought what was then known as Twitter in 2022, he has cut back on moderation. Extremist content has increased, causing some advertisers to pull away from the platform.
The weekly average of antisemitic tweets increased 106 per cent when comparing the first months before and after Musk’s takeover, according to an analysis of English-language tweets by the intelligence firms CASM Technology and ISD, the Washington Post reported. It surged even more after the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel.
Elmo’s social media account has lately become a place for mental health awareness.
Last year, the red fuzzy monster caused a sensation when he asked: “Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” It prompted responses from then-president Joe Biden and Chance the Rapper.
Reuters, AP
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