A ProPublica Report In Collaboration With Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism Accuses Community Notes On X For Spreading Misinformation

This week, ProPublica published a report on the spread of misinformation by Community Notes on X. The report was published in collaboration with Columbia University’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism. It highlighted how X’s moderation policy has failed to address and resolve the dissemination of false information by Community Notes.

According to ProPublica,

“The [study] looked at over 200 distinct claims that independent fact-checks determined to be misleading, and searched for posts by verified accounts that perpetuated them, identifying 2,000 total tweets. The tweets had collectively been viewed half a billion times.”  

We also found that the Community Notes system, which has been touted by Musk as a way to improve information accuracy on the platform, hasn’t scaled sufficiently. About 80% of the 2,000 debunked posts we reviewed had no Community Note. Of the 200 debunked claims, more than 80 were never clarified with a note.” (Source)

Last year, the Birdwatch feature on X was renamed Community Notes. The change came up with a promise of maintaining the accuracy of information. However, the report makes it evident how things have not gone right for Community Notes. What is even more surprising is that Musk has himself expressed his concerns regarding the accuracy and authenticity of Community Notes on the X platform.

So, there is a lack of clarity regarding how X is projecting Community Notes as the protector of spreading authentic information on the platform. Further, with the recent findings about how Community Notes and its moderation policies are failing the misinformation, X is likely to land in trouble with the European Union. A few days back, the European Union has already announced its formal proceedings against X over the “possibility of DSA breaches.”

In the statement, the EU announces,“The compliance with the DSA obligations related to countering the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, notably in relation to the risk assessment and mitigation measures adopted by X to counter the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, as well as the functioning of the notice and action mechanism for illegal content in the EU mandated by the DSA, including in light of X’s content moderation resources.”

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