Elon Musk's X quietly removes feature for reporting electoral misinformation
Elon Musk's social media platform X has disabled a feature that allowed users to report misinformation about elections, per research firm Reset.Tech Australia. The move raises concerns about the spread of false claims ahead of major votes in the US and Australia. The feature allowed users to report a post they considered misleading. Now, the "politics" category has been removed from the feature's menu in every jurisdiction except the European Union.
Reporting tool removed in key markets
Since August 2021, users on X in countries like the US, Australia, and South Korea could flag tweets containing misleading information for review by company staff. The feature was expanded to Brazil, the Philippines, and Spain in early 2022. However, digital platforms critic group Reset.Tech Australia reports that this tool has been removed from those markets within the past week or two.
Crucial votes at risk amid policy change
The removal of this reporting feature comes less than three weeks before Australia's first referendum in 25 years on establishing an Indigenous advisory body to parliament and 14 months before the US presidential election. When contacted for comment, X replied with an auto-reply message: "Busy now. Please check back later." Reset.Tech Australia warns that the change might result in content that violates X's policy against spreading false election information online going unchecked, potentially affecting important votes.
AEC concerned over misinformation spread
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), which will oversee the referendum, has expressed concerns about the spread of electoral misinformation, calling it the worst they have seen. As social media platforms continue to face scrutiny over their role in curbing false information, the decision by Musk's X to disable this feature could have significant consequences for electoral integrity.
