Elon Musk's X in the spotlight: 1.2 billion views of false election info
False or misleading information about the U.S. 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 supporting 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. About 193 million users on X claim, for example, that Democrats are encouraging illegal immigration to import voters," reported NBC News.
Over 1.2 billion views of misleading or false posts on X
The billionaire faced harsh criticism for spreading a manipulated video featuring the Democratic candidate for the White House, Kamala Harris, in late July. The video attracted millions of views and was presented as "satire."
Imran Ahmed, director of CCDH, assessed that Elon Musk abuses his position as an influential social network owner to spread disinformation that generates discord and distrust.
Acting as if he is untouchable
According to lawyer Nora Benavidez, Elon Musk, one of the richest people in the world, "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.
A representative of the Free Press AFP argued that his behaviour, which approaches election interference, means that others—the public, regulators, and advertisers—should hold him accountable for his anti-democratic stance.
Recently, Musk has intensified his rhetoric on immigration and transgender rights issues, which coincided with his warming relationships with Trump. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a Republican victory in the November 5 elections could benefit Musk's business empire.
