Elon Musk’s X branded as major hub for disseminating disinformation in a warning issued by the European Union

Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, formerly known as Twitter, has come under severe criticism from the European Union for serving as a major hub for disseminating disinformation. This harsh characterization coincides with X’s decision to eliminate the option for users to report tweets containing misleading information in Australia.

It’s essential to distinguish between disinformation and misinformation. Disinformation refers to false or misleading information that is often spread through speculation or without the intent to disseminate fake news. In contrast, misinformation involves the intentional spreading of false information to achieve specific goals, often through paid accounts or social media bots.

The disinformation threat in question is often referred to as Russia’s “war of ideas.” European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova has called on social media platforms to take action against this disinformation campaign, particularly in light of upcoming national and European elections. Jourova considers this disinformation to be a significant threat, affecting not only Russians but also Europeans and the global community.

X is not the only platform flagged by the EU for its alleged role in spreading disinformation. The European Union has released reports assessing the efforts of major tech companies, including Meta’s Facebook, Alphabet’s Google, and ByteDance’s TikTok, in combating disinformation on their platforms. For instance, Google terminated more than 400 channels involved in Russian influence operations during the first four months of the year, while Meta expanded its fact-checking partnerships across the EU, covering 22 languages.

A noteworthy development in Australia is X’s discontinuation of the crucial feature that allowed users to report posts containing disinformation. This change took place shortly before a referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament in Australia. Previously, users in various countries, including the US, Australia, and South Korea, could flag tweets they considered misleading for review by the company.