Elon Musk revealed that X received a query from the U.S. House of Representatives regarding its actions in Brazil, where it was asked to suspend accounts of Brazilian parliament members and journalists. This comes after a Brazil Supreme Court judge opened an inquiry into Musk for challenging the decision to block certain accounts on X. Musk, a self-declared free-speech absolutist, has criticized the judge's actions and threatened to shut down X's operations in Brazil, emphasizing that principles matter more than profit.
Despite Elon Musk's claims that X hosts the least antisemitic content on social media, a report from Cyberwell found that X is the most prominent purveyor of content engaging in the denial and distortion of events related to antisemitism. The report specifically focused on content related to the Hamas-led massacre of Israeli Jews, and found that X was responsible for 47.3% of the antisemitic posts analyzed, with the lowest takedown rate among major platforms. Musk's efforts to prove his pro-Jewish stance, including a visit to Auschwitz, have been overshadowed by his platform's engagement with antisemitic conspiracy theories, prompting criticism and calls for better enforcement of policies.
Tucker Carlson's interview with Alex Jones on the social media platform X caught the attention of owner Elon Musk, leading to the reinstatement of Jones's account. Carlson, a former Fox News host, has been an ally of Jones for years and has criticized Fox for not defending the conspiracy theorist. Jones, who had been banned from X for posting harassing messages and spreading false theories about the Sandy Hook massacre, thanked Carlson for the interview. Jones's return to X comes at a time when both Musk and Carlson have faced controversy of their own.
Elon Musk announced that he will reinstate the account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on X (formerly known as Twitter) after conducting an unscientific poll in which 70% of nearly 2 million respondents voted in favor of reinstatement. Musk, who has promoted conspiracy theories himself and faced backlash for endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory, acknowledged that restoring Jones' account would be financially detrimental to X but argued that principles matter more than money. The move is likely to further impact X as companies distance themselves from the platform due to concerns about hate speech and conspiracy theories. Jones is known for spreading disinformation and false conspiracy theories, including claiming that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax.
Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly known as Twitter), lashed out at advertisers who left the platform over antisemitic content, telling them to "Go fuck yourself" in a fiery interview. Musk expressed remorse for agreeing with an anti-Jewish post and acknowledged the harm caused by his tweet. He denied being antisemitic and criticized advertisers for attempting to blackmail him. Major companies, including Walt Disney and Warner Bros Discovery, suspended their ads on X following the controversy. Musk's comments have put pressure on X and its CEO, Linda Yaccarino. Despite offering an apology, Musk's expletives against advertisers may have a lasting impact on the platform's relationships with brands.
Paris Hilton's entertainment company, 11:11 Media, has suspended its advertising campaign on X (formerly known as Twitter) following Elon Musk's endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory. This move adds to the growing list of companies pulling their ads from the platform, including Apple, Disney, IBM, and Lionsgate. X has faced backlash for allowing ads to appear next to Nazi-themed content, leading to a decline in web traffic. Musk hired former NBC executive Linda Yaccarino to attract big brands back to X, but the recent controversy has further damaged the platform's reputation.
Elon Musk has announced a plan to incentivize truth on X (formerly known as Twitter) by making posts corrected by the platform's fact-checking feature ineligible for revenue share. However, X users have raised concerns about the potential demonetization of posts that provide context or humor through community-sourced fact-checking. Musk has not confirmed whether more money will be rewarded to creators who avoid spreading misinformation, but he emphasized the goal of incentivizing truth. X has not yet updated its monetization standards to include this new policy, and it remains unclear if it will extend to other forms of monetization on the platform. The move comes as the European Union investigates X for its handling of Israel/Hamas disinformation.
The European Commission has sent a formal request to X (formerly known as Twitter) to obtain information regarding the spread of illegal content and disinformation on the platform during the Israel-Hamas conflict. The European Union's executive arm is investigating whether X is complying with the Digital Services Act, which requires platforms with over 45 million monthly active users in the EU to scan and remove illegal content. X has been asked to provide relevant information on its crisis response protocol by October 18th. Failure to comply with the act could result in fines totaling 6% of a company's annual revenue.
Social media companies, particularly X (formerly known as Twitter) and its owner Elon Musk, are facing criticism as misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war spreads rapidly. The European Union has urged X and Meta (owner of Facebook) to remove misleading posts and videos. Examples of misinformation include videos falsely portraying events from a video game as real footage and misrepresenting older incidents as recent. Emerson Brooking, a senior resident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, highlights the dangers of misinformation and criticizes X for removing the ability to find and verify credible accounts while introducing a for-profit motive that incentivizes the sharing of false content.
Graphic videos and images of Hamas' attacks on Israel, including mass shootings and violence, are being widely shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), in violation of the platform's own rules against inciting violence. The content includes videos of militants murdering civilians and Israeli soldiers, viral hashtags praising Hamas' activities, and graphic pictures of those killed, along with antisemitic hate speech. The prevalence of extremist material on X is significantly higher compared to other platforms, according to analysis by POLITICO and independent researchers. The lack of moderation tools and verification systems on X could lead to further offline violence.
Elon Musk has hinted that X, formerly known as Twitter, is planning to charge all users for accessing the platform in an effort to combat bots. Musk believes that implementing a paywall would deter bot operators, as it would increase the cost of setting up and maintaining automated accounts. Currently, Twitter only charges for its subscription service, X Premium, but Musk suggests that a small monthly payment for all users may be introduced. Musk's conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also touched on issues of free speech and antisemitism on the platform.
Elon Musk, the CEO of X (formerly known as Twitter), has announced that the platform will cover the legal expenses of users who are treated unfairly by their employers due to their activity on the social media platform. Musk, a self-proclaimed "free speech absolutist," has been critical of the platform's content moderation policies. He urged users to inform X if they have experienced unfair treatment for their posts or likes. The announcement comes after X Corp, the company that owns Twitter, sued the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) for its research that highlighted hate and disinformation on the platform under Musk's ownership.
