Elon Musk Cuts 'Election Integrity Team' at X: Concerns Raised About Managing Political Misinformation
Elon Musk has made significant cuts to the ‘election integrity team’ at X (formerly Twitter), a department responsible for combating the spread of misinformation online. This move has raised concerns about X’s ability to effectively manage information and content surrounding important political events.
Scrapping the Feature to Self-Report False Political Statements
In addition to the team cuts, X has also removed a feature that allowed users to self-report false political statements. Musk announced the disbandment of the team in his characteristically blunt style. The decision comes just weeks after X announced plans to expand its safety teams ahead of the upcoming US presidential election.
Fresh Concerns about X’s Ability to Manage Information
Musk acquired X last year for a staggering $44 billion. His recent decision to dismantle the election integrity team raises fresh concerns about the platform’s ability to effectively manage information and content surrounding important political events. A recent study by TrustLab revealed that X has the highest ratio of misinformation spread across its content compared to other social media platforms.
More Than Half of Global Team Laid Off
The cuts to X’s election integrity team resulted in over half of the global team being laid off. It remains unclear how many people remain on the team. This includes the department based in Ireland, where X’s Co-lead of ‘threat disruption’, Aaron Rodericks, was based.
X’s Plans to Expand Safety and Election Teams
X’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino, had previously stated that the platform was expanding its safety and election teams worldwide to combat manipulation, inauthentic accounts, and emerging threats. However, Musk’s recent decision seems to contradict these plans.
Concerns Raised by Reset Australia
Reset Australia, an organization advocating for democracy in digital media, has expressed concerns about the removal of the feature that allowed users to report fake news on X. They addressed these concerns in an open letter to the platform.
No Option to Report Electoral Misinformation
Since the release of the study, the option to report electoral misinformation on X has been absent. While users can still report spam and hateful posts, the absence of the electoral misinformation reporting feature raises concerns about the platform’s ability to safeguard electoral information.
Other Companies Taking Actions to Safeguard Electoral Information
In contrast to X’s decision, other companies like Google have implemented plans to safeguard electoral information online. Google recently enforced AI transparency policies to eradicate AI deepfakes during the presidential race, demonstrating their commitment to combatting misinformation.
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