Elon Musk's social network spreads election misinformation: Report
False or misleading information about the USA elections shared by Elon Musk on his social network X has garnered over 1.2 billion views this year. The Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) highlighted on Thursday the influence of the billionaire, a supporter of Donald Trump, on the election campaign.
The non-profit CCDH noted 50 posts published since January dedicated to voting, which disinformation experts deemed false or misleading. Among them, 193 million users on X have seen claims that Democrats are encouraging illegal immigration to import voters, reported MBC News.
Over 1.2 billion views of misleading or false posts on X
The billionaire faced harsh criticism for spreading a manipulated video in late July featuring the Democratic candidate for the White House, Kamala Harris. It attracted millions of views and was then presented as "satire".
— Elon Musk is abusing his privileged position as owner of a small, but politically influential, social media platform to sow disinformation that generates discord and distrust — assessed Imran Ahmed, director of CCDH.
"Acting as if he is untouchable"
According to lawyer Nora Benavidez, Elon Musk—one of the world's wealthiest people "— "behaves as if he is beyond reproach despite growing evidence of the harmful role he is personally playing to fuel disinformation and division ahead of the US elections".
NBC News emphasizes that none of Musk's 50 questioned posts had a "community note" that would correct his claims or add context. The Centre noted that this raises doubts about the effectiveness of the fact-checking system.
— As his behaviour edges closer to election interference, it's up to others -- the public, regulatory agencies and advertisers -- to hold him accountable for his anti-democratic behaviour—argued a representative of Free Press to AFP.
Recently, Musk has intensified his rhetoric on immigration and transgender rights issues, which coincided with his warming relationship with Trump. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a Republican victory in the elections on November 5th could benefit Musk's business empire.
