Twitter’s former global news chair and executive director of Aspen Digital at The Aspen Institute, Vivian Schiller, has criticized Elon Musk’s X for hosting misinformation and disinformation during the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
What Happened: During her appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Schiller highlighted the pivotal role of X (formerly Twitter) as a primary source of information for many worldwide.
She noted that the digital fog of war during the Israel-Hamas conflict made accurate reporting particularly challenging, with crucial resources like satellite images blocked and an abundance of unreliable information.
“It is not helping things that Twitter, which for many – frankly, for many journalists and many others around the world would turn to for information, has now really become a cesspool of mis and dis information,” Schiller said.
Schiller then delved into the impact of blue checkmarks on X. Previously a symbol of account authenticity, these verified checkmarks are now available for just $8 per month and, according to Schiller, have contributed to the spread of misleading content.
She noted that many paying for these checkmarks are individuals with ulterior motives, aiming to instigate trouble or promote specific viewpoints without regard for the veracity of the information they share.
“The people who are actually paying for those blue checkmarks, unfortunately, a lot of them are bad actors trying to stir trouble, who have a certain point of view, irrespective of the facts on the ground, or just trying to make a name for themselves,” she stated.
The discussion didn’t stop at X, as Schiller also commented on a recent controversial incident involving Microsoft Corporation’s MSFT LinkedIn.
A homegrown website scraped information from LinkedIn, attempting to identify employees of various companies who had expressed opinions perceived as anti-Israel.
Schiller expressed her discomfort with this form of doxxing, emphasizing that it could incite violence and hatred.
“I completely agree with you about the conflation between anti-semitism and being against Israeli policy. All of these things have gotten confused. It’s a very fraught moment. And the problem is these – Twitter and some of the other platforms, like you said, this website that scraped information off LinkedIn, is just setting things to a boiling point.”
Watch the complete interview here:
Why It’s Important: The conversation also highlighted an alarming report by news outlet analysis firm News Guard, which found that 74% of the most widely circulated posts containing misinformation on X in the conflict’s first week had been boosted by users with blue checkmarks.
This report and comments from Schiller come against the backdrop of mounting worries about the proliferation of false information and disinformation concerning the ongoing conflict on social media platforms such as X.
Earlier this month, in response to the EU’s request for information on how they combat false information during the Israel-Hamas conflict, Musk’s X has explained that they’re using the Community Notes feature to provide extra information about the posts, videos, and photos shared on their platform.
However, one erroneous flagging of a graphic video, shared by Donald Trump Jr., by the Community Notes feature sparked massive backlash from netizens and experts alike.
Image Credits – Shutterstock
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