Elon Musk’s company, X, has disabled a feature that allowed users to report electoral misinformation. This decision was made after a researcher brought attention to the issue.

SYDNEY – Elon Musk’s X, formerly called Twitter, disabled a feature that let users report misinformation 

On Wednesday, a research organization expressed worries about false information being spread before important elections in the US and Australia.

After introducing a feature 

According to statements made by X, starting in 2022, users will have the ability to report posts related to politics that they believe to be misleading. However, in the past week, X has removed the option to report under the “politics” category from all areas except the European Union. researcher Reset.Tech Australia.

platform said

According to the platform, users have the ability to report posts to X for various reasons, such as promoting violence or hate speech, on a global scale. researcher added.

X was not able to comment right away.

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Disabling the option for individuals to report potential political ads misinformation 

Possible rewording: In the current climate where social media platforms are facing pressure to address false information, limitations on intervention may be necessary. electoral 

Honesty and moral principles, which have experienced significant growth in the past few years.

This event occurs just under three weeks prior to Australia’s upcoming referendum, the first in 25 years, which will determine whether to amend the constitution and create an Indigenous advisory body for parliament. It also takes place 14 months before the next US presidential election.

“It would be helpful to understand why X have seemingly gone backwards on their commitments to mitigating the kind of serious misinformation 

Alice Dawkins, executive director of Reset.Tech Australia, stated that this has caused actual political turmoil in the United States, especially as the “bumper year” for global elections approaches.

wrote:

Reset.Tech sent a letter to Angus Keene, the managing director for Australia at X.Australia  hate speech

The change could potentially result in retaining content that goes against X’s policy against hate speech. electoral misinformation online without an appropriate review process.

misconduct, such as fraud or corruption, through the media”

I am deeply troubled by the fact that Australians could no longer use the media to report significant wrongdoing, such as fraud or corruption. misinformation 

The letter that was posted on the internet stated, “We are only a few weeks away from a significant referendum.”

misinformation on the platform.

After Mr. Musk made Twitter private in late 2022, the company faced accusations of promoting antisemitism, hate speech, and misinformation on the platform. This was accompanied by a significant reduction in the company’s workforce. misinformation.

hate speech.

According to a previous report from Reuters, Reset.Tech Australia discovered that X did not take down or label any posts that contained hate speech. misinformation untitled

During the three-week period of the Australian referendum, discussions continued even after it was reported without a title.disabled feature.

Mr. Musk has said X’s “Community Notes” feature

According to X’s website, their system allows for users to comment on posts and flag any false or misleading content. However, these comments are only made public if they are deemed helpful by a diverse group of contributors with different perspectives..

The Australian authority responsible for monitoring internet safety contacted X in June, requesting an account for the significant increase in hate speech on their platform. They also pointed out that 62,000 prominent accounts promoting Nazi ideology had been restored.

The Australian Electoral  the virus in

The AEC Commission, responsible for managing the Oct. 14 vote, has stated that the virus is spreading. electoral misinformation 

This is the most severe it has been.

content, but that it had to be done in accordance with the Facebook Community Standards

The commission stated that it could still disclose posts involving political material, but it must adhere to the rules outlined in the Facebook Community Standards.  misinformation directly to X, even after the feature was disabled

The AEC was open to users for inquiries and information-seeking.