, told AFP. Musk has amplified debunked falsehoods from politicians, including Trump, that Democrats are “importing” migrants into the United States to vote in the November election and that immigrants from Haiti in Ohio were killing and eating pets. Soon after a second assassination attempt on Trump, Musk posted a comment — alongside a thinking emoji — that “no one is even trying to assassinate” President Joe Biden and the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. Musk deleted the post, which the White House called “irresponsible” while adding that violence should never be “encouraged or joked about.” Musk also faced criticism for sharing a deepfake video in which a voiceover mimicking Harris calls Biden senile and declares that she does not “know the first thing about running the country.” The video was originally posted by an X account linked to the conservative podcaster Chris Kohls and labeled a “parody,” but Musk’s repost made no such disclosure. False or misleading election claims on X by Musk have amassed nearly 1.2 billion views, CCDH reported last month. Its researchers identified 50 posts by Musk since January containing election claims that were debunked by independent fact-checkers. X did not respond to a request for comment. Musk, analysts say, appears to have supplanted the role Trump once played on the platform. “What gave Trump’s tweets so much impact in 2016 — and throughout his presidency — was not just that they were seen by people on Twitter, but how much media coverage they got,” Joshua Tucker, co-director of the NYU Center for Social Media and Politics, told AFP. “What is happening with Musk these days on Twitter/X feels similar: his posts are not just seen on the site, but they also seem to be getting a lot of pickup in the media.” The platform is very different today compared to the previous 2020 election, when it was largely seen as a clearinghouse of reliable information. Since he purchased it in 2022 for $44 billion, Musk has aggressively sought to model the site as a censorship-free haven and a superior source to mainstream media — winning plaudits from US conservatives strongly averse to social media content moderation. He has gutted trust and safety teams, scaled back content moderation efforts, and restored known conspiracy theorists to the platform, making it what researchers call a cesspool of disinformation. In August, five US states sent an open letter to Musk, imploring him to fix X’s AI chatbot –- known as Grok — after it shared misinformation about the election. Outside the US, Musk is not always offered the same freedom to let users post whatever they want. In Brazil, a high-profile judge ordered the suspension of X after Musk refused to remove dozens of right-wing accounts accused of spreading fake news, and then failed to name a new legal representative in the country as ordered. Musk appeared to capitulate last week, with the company’s lawyers saying that X had complied with the orders. EU regulators meanwhile are currently carrying out a wide-ranging probe into X to see how effectively it combats disinformation. If found at fault, X faces major fines or orders that it take urgent action to comply with EU rules. Australia is planning similar regulation and in Britain, new rules are about to come into effect that could give authorities more say over how platforms control their content. “Musk’s reputation is slowly losing in the court of public opinion, with people increasingly calling out his authoritarian tactics,” Nora Benavidez, senior counsel at the nonprofit watchdog Free Press, told AFP. “He can continue down this sad path, but it’s a losing battle.” (AFP) [ad_2]){kind=link}
With incendiary, deceptive posts to his 200 million followers, Elon Musk has courted criticism for cranking up the political temperature forward of an already polarized US election by means of his influential platform that’s plagued with misinformation.
Researchers concern there could also be little to cease Musk — who has endorsed Donald Trump — from utilizing X, previously Twitter, and his private account to sway voters in favor of the Republican nominee, name into query the legitimacy of the electoral course of, and provoke violence towards political rivals and ballot employees.
“Musk has an enormous following on X and he treats the platform like his personal misinformation megaphone,” Imran Ahmed, chief government of the watchdog Middle for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), instructed AFP.
Musk has amplified debunked falsehoods from politicians, together with Trump, that Democrats are “importing” migrants into america to vote within the November election and that immigrants from Haiti in Ohio had been killing and consuming pets.
Quickly after a second assassination try on Trump, Musk posted a remark — alongside a pondering emoji — that “nobody is even making an attempt to assassinate” President Joe Biden and the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Musk deleted the publish, which the White Home known as “irresponsible” whereas including that violence ought to by no means be “inspired or joked about.”
Musk additionally confronted criticism for sharing a deepfake video wherein a voiceover mimicking Harris calls Biden senile and declares that she doesn’t “know the very first thing about operating the nation.”
The video was initially posted by an X account linked to the conservative podcaster Chris Kohls and labeled a “parody,” however Musk’s repost made no such disclosure.
False or deceptive election claims on X by Musk have amassed almost 1.2 billion views, CCDH reported final month. Its researchers recognized 50 posts by Musk since January containing election claims that had been debunked by unbiased fact-checkers.
X didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Musk, analysts say, seems to have supplanted the function Trump as soon as performed on the platform.
“What gave Trump’s tweets a lot impression in 2016 — and all through his presidency — was not simply that they had been seen by individuals on Twitter, however how a lot media protection they obtained,” Joshua Tucker, co-director of the NYU Middle for Social Media and Politics, instructed AFP.
“What is going on with Musk today on Twitter/X feels related: his posts will not be simply seen on the location, however in addition they appear to be getting numerous pickup within the media.”
The platform may be very totally different at the moment in comparison with the earlier 2020 election, when it was largely seen as a clearinghouse of dependable info.
Since he bought it in 2022 for $44 billion, Musk has aggressively sought to mannequin the location as a censorship-free haven and a superior supply to mainstream media — successful plaudits from US conservatives strongly averse to social media content material moderation.
He has gutted belief and security groups, scaled again content material moderation efforts, and restored identified conspiracy theorists to the platform, making it what researchers name a cesspool of disinformation.
In August, 5 US states despatched an open letter to Musk, imploring him to repair X’s AI chatbot –- often called Grok — after it shared misinformation in regards to the election.
Outdoors the US, Musk is just not all the time supplied the identical freedom to let customers publish no matter they need.
In Brazil, a high-profile choose ordered the suspension of X after Musk refused to take away dozens of right-wing accounts accused of spreading faux information, after which failed to call a brand new authorized consultant within the nation as ordered.
Musk appeared to capitulate final week, with the corporate’s legal professionals saying that X had complied with the orders.
EU regulators in the meantime are at present finishing up a wide-ranging probe into X to see how successfully it combats disinformation.
If discovered at fault, X faces main fines or orders that it take pressing motion to adjust to EU guidelines.
Australia is planning related regulation and in Britain, new guidelines are about to return into impact that might give authorities extra say over how platforms management their content material.
“Musk’s repute is slowly dropping within the court docket of public opinion, with individuals more and more calling out his authoritarian techniques,” Nora Benavidez, senior counsel on the nonprofit watchdog Free Press, instructed AFP.
“He can proceed down this unhappy path, but it surely’s a dropping battle.” (AFP)