Ahead of polls, Musk's X launches fact-checking initiative in India
X has announced the launch of its crowd-sourced fact-checking initiative, Community Notes, in India. This move comes ahead of the country's upcoming national elections. The first group of Indian contributors will begin posting notes from today, with an expected increase in contributors over time, according to a statement from X. X first launched Community Notes in December 2022, allowing users worldwide to access these notes linked to posts.
Community Notes is a global initiative
Initially, only users from select countries could post such notes. Over time, X expanded this feature, enabling members from various nations to contribute and provide local context. In the previous year, X had expanded this feature to include images and videos. With the launch in India, the program now includes contributors from a total of 69 countries. Elon Musk confirmed the activation of Community Notes in India via a tweet.
Challenges ahead for community notes
Formerly known as Birdwatch, Community Notes has faced difficulties in curbing the spread of disinformation, despite its usefulness in verifying posts on X's platform. The program is expected to encounter additional challenges due to India's complex multilingual political environment. As of now, X has not announced any specific plans concerning efforts for the upcoming Indian elections.
X's legal complications in India
Earlier this year, X faced legal complications in India due to directives from authorities to block certain posts related to farmers' protests. While complying with these directives, the company stated that an appeal against these blocking orders was still under consideration in court. In an interview with BBC last year, Musk said, "The rules in India for what can appear on social media are quite strict and we can't go beyond the laws of the country."
