How Twitter Blue's Paid Features Amplify Falsehoods On Russian-Ukraine Conflict

In a startling revelation, a new report has exposed how the paid features of Twitter Blue, a subscription service offered by the social media platform, have been inadvertently aiding the spread of fake news, particularly concerning the Russian-Ukraine war.

What Happened: Twitter Blue’s paid features have unwittingly become a fertile ground for disseminating fake news, specifically targeting the Russian war in Ukraine, reported BBC. 

The report has identified several Twitter accounts with blue checkmarks as major sources of false information related to the conflict. These posts gained significant traction, accumulating millions of views. 

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For example, an article published by The People’s Voice, also known as YourNewsWire, falsely claimed that Russian soldiers had discovered Ukrainian “baby factories” engaged in organ harvesting. 

Another fabricated narrative, shared by various Twitter Blue accounts, consisted of a screenshot with a misleading headline suggesting that protesters in France had fired at French police using American rifles intended for Ukraine.

The nature of these falsehoods seems particularly alarming, as they can be traced back to propaganda originating from the Russian government and Kremlin-controlled channels, the report noted.  

Last year, it was reported that Wikipedia might be host to significant misinformation around the Russia-Ukraine War due to some malevolent editor accounts. However, at the time, it wasn’t concluded that the editors acting in bad faith were necessarily backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government.

Why It’s Important: Five in 10 U.S. adults reportedly use social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to get news despite studies calling these platforms a hotbed of misinformation. 

Last year in November, it was reported that ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October, curbed the company staff’s ability to restrain misinformation by freezing their access to content-enforcement tools. 

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