As the U.S. gears up for a high-stakes election, new reports indicate that misinformation has flourished on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Billionaire Elon Musk, who took over the platform in 2022, has been cited in a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) for sharing or amplifying election-related claims that fact-checkers have flagged as false or misleading. According to the report, Musk’s posts containing such information have accumulated over 2 billion views this year alone, raising questions about the platform’s role in shaping public opinion on the electoral process.

The report by CCDH highlights Musk’s influence in spreading misinformation, particularly through his expansive following of nearly 203 million users on X. Experts warn that the reach and “network effects” of Musk’s posts—when content from X spreads rapidly to other social media platforms like Reddit and Telegram—have the potential to sway public perception, especially in critical battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Arizona. “X is now a conduit for content from one platform to another, magnifying its reach,” says Kathleen Carley, a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University and an expert in disinformation studies.

Since Musk acquired X, the platform has seen significant shifts in its approach to content moderation. Musk has reduced the company’s moderation efforts by cutting thousands of staff members, including many in the platform’s Trust and Safety team. Additionally, the Community Notes feature, which allows users to add context to posts, has become one of X’s primary methods of combating misinformation. A spokesperson for X defended the feature, stating that it is a more effective tool than traditional warning flags, as it provides users with more context and allows the platform to crowdsource fact-checking.

However, some experts and watchdog groups remain skeptical. Philip Hensley-Robin, Pennsylvania’s executive director at Common Cause, a nonpartisan organization promoting government accountability and voting rights, expressed concerns about misleading information specific to Pennsylvania. “Certain X accounts have implied that voter fraud is occurring when, in fact, election officials are strictly adhering to regulations,” Hensley-Robin noted. He referenced recent misinformation about incomplete voter registration forms that were incorrectly characterized as election interference by some X users. “Only eligible voters are voting, but these posts make it seem otherwise,” he explained.

Adding to the challenges, disinformation has targeted mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania, one of the seven key swing states. Cyabra, a technology firm specializing in detecting online disinformation, identified an X account with over 117,000 followers that played a crucial role in spreading a fake video. The video falsely claimed to show Pennsylvania election workers destroying mail-in ballots favoring one candidate, triggering widespread alarm among users who believed the narrative. Cyabra’s findings reveal that this video, despite being debunked, gained traction on X before it was addressed by the platform.

Musk’s backing of former President Donald Trump, who is currently running in a close race against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, has only fueled the debate over whether his personal views are influencing X’s approach to content moderation. Many critics argue that Musk’s leadership and personal stances create an environment where misinformation can thrive. “This election cycle is one of the most important in recent U.S. history, and X has become a major platform for shaping narratives around it,” says Lisa Kaplan, founder of Alethea Group, a firm that analyzes misinformation.

Despite claims from X that they are actively monitoring and acting against false content, incidents of misinformation persist. A spokesperson for X noted that the platform had removed several accounts involved in sharing the misleading Pennsylvania video, though many observers feel that the platform’s reactive approach is insufficient.

The issue of election misinformation on social media is not exclusive to X. However, the platform’s recent trajectory under Musk’s ownership has raised significant concerns. With the U.S. election approaching, the effectiveness of Community Notes and other moderation strategies will be closely watched by both political analysts and tech policy experts. There is a widespread call for platforms like X to prioritize accuracy and transparency in handling election-related content to ensure voters are not misled.

As the influence of social media on electoral outcomes continues to grow, experts argue that addressing the spread of false information is crucial for preserving democracy. The presence of misinformation on X, compounded by Musk’s personal influence on the platform, illustrates the complexities of moderating content in the modern digital landscape. The path forward, many experts agree, will require more than community-driven context notes; it may necessitate a return to stronger, centralized moderation efforts to maintain the integrity of electoral discourse online.

(Adapted from ThePrint.in)