The Israel-Hamas conflict was a test for Musk's X, and it failed

Researchers have stated that changes made to verification and safety policies on the platform formerly known as Twitter, X, have rendered the site an unreliable news source.

Don't leave your news choices to an algorithm - decide for yourself what you read. Add 12punto to your preferred sources!

The Israel-Hamas conflict was a test for Musk's X, and it failed

Researchers have examined how the 'X' platform, owned by Elon Musk, failed during the conflict between Israel and Hamas due to its 'role in spreading misinformation' and raised red flags regarding the platform's misleading role during times of crisis.

''A HANDFUL OF VIRAL LIES''

According to Bloomberg; hours after Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip entered Israel and carried out the largest attack in the country in recent years, unverified photos and videos of missile strikes, destroyed buildings, and homes, along with other posts showing military violence in Israel and Gaza, began circulating on the platform.

Many of the posts repurposed old footage of armed conflict to make it appear new and were made by anonymous accounts with blue checkmarks. This indicated that they had purchased verification under X's subscription service, formerly known as Twitter Blue. Other accounts posted military footage that was actually taken from video games. A handful of viral lies, commonly used to increase engagement, spread across the platform.

MISLEADING POSTS BECAME UNAVOIDABLE

Conspiracy theory researcher Mike Rothschild, who studies viral lies on social media, said that the news of the attack on Israel was "the first real test of Elon Musk's Twitter, and it failed spectacularly."

Researchers stated that X, which has been under Musk's ownership since October 2022, has made changes to its content safety policies, and the consequences of this are now clearly visible during a moment of geopolitical crisis. Over the past year, the company has relaxed platform rules, reduced trust and safety staff after previously stating it would expand the team, reinstated previously banned accounts, and allowed people to pay for a checkmark on the social network. Researchers said that although lies regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict have spread across social media platforms throughout the internet, the impact on X stands out as misleading posts have become unavoidable.

News Source: 12punto