2023-10-11 13:05:00
One reason for this is probably that almost all platforms have recently scaled back their protective measures for content moderation. Major world events often trigger a flood of so-called fake news. But scientists say the scale and speed of the spread of misinformation following the deadly attack on Israel by the radical Islamic organization Hamas was unprecedented. The conflict offers a grim case study in the diminished capacity of prominent platforms such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) to combat misinformation. Layoffs and cost cutting have eroded company security teams and trust.
Current information on the topic
Big problems on Twitter
With Elon Musk’s X in particular, the problem is exacerbated by a series of controversial measures that the US multi-billionaire has taken since he took over the platform. These include restoring accounts that spread conspiracy myths or a program to distribute revenue that, according to researchers, incentivizes high engagement rates but not accuracy.
“Social media platforms are struggling to keep up with the constant flood of misinformation and calls for violence,” said Andy Carvin of the US think tank Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab). “It’s a trend that has been emerging for some time and it has only worsened with layoffs of trust and security teams, impacting their ability to keep up with the chaos.”
Fake photos and old videos
In connection with the fighting between Israel and the radical Islamic Hamas, social media users are flooded with, among other things, fake photos and old videos from Syria that are presented as if they came from the Gaza Strip. Another image purportedly showed Israeli soldiers being captured by Hamas. In reality, the image was taken in 2022 during a military exercise in Gaza.
“The sheer volume of manipulated, fake, old videos and images of attacks circulating (online) makes it harder to understand what is happening in Israel and Gaza,” said Alessandro Accorsi of the Crisis Group think tank. He has “great concerns” that the misinformation might fuel violence.
Bad place for reliable information
“During crises such as terrorist atrocities, wars and natural disasters, people tend to turn to social media platforms for quick, easily accessible information,” said Imran Ahmed, executive director of a Center Against Online Hate. But: “The flood of scammers spreading lies and hate to gain online engagement and followers, combined with algorithms that promote this extreme and disturbing content, is why social media is actually such a bad place to be to obtain reliable information.”
Platform X has been particularly criticized. The EU Commission warned Elon Musk on Tuesday for “spreading illegal content” and “false information” in his online service. “Following Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel, we have evidence that your platform is being used to spread illegal content and misinformation in the EU,” wrote EU Digital Commissioner Thierry Breton.
Harsh criticism of Elon Musk
Musk himself received harsh criticism, among other things, when he asked his almost 160 million followers on Although Musk later deleted his post, it was seen millions of times beforehand. X did not respond to AFP’s request for comment.
There are still “countless skilled journalists and researchers who use X to help the public better understand what’s going on,” says expert Carvin. But they are increasingly being marginalized on the platform. “Its usefulness as a reliable research and reporting tool has been fundamentally shaken and may never recover.”
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