In the wake of the recent surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israel, misinformation has proliferated on Elon Musk’s social media platform, X. Users have been sharing false and misleading claims about the conflict, including one instance where Musk himself directed users to an account known for spreading misinformation.
Over the weekend, several users shared a fabricated White House news release falsely asserting that the United States was sending billions of dollars in new aid to Israel in response to the attack. The bogus release quickly spread across X, thanks to accounts with substantial followings. Social media influencer Jackson Hinkle was among those who shared the counterfeit news, tying it to Ukraine’s pleas for additional funding from Washington to defend itself against Russia.
Elon Musk, on Sunday, added to the information confusion by suggesting that X users follow the Israel-Hamas conflict through an account known for disseminating misinformation. This account had previously propagated a fake report earlier this year about an explosion at the Pentagon.
Both Musk and Hinkle subsequently deleted their posts. Musk later posted a message urging users to prioritize accuracy, stating, “As always, please try to stay as close to the truth as possible, even for stuff you don’t like.”
Elsewhere on X, an account impersonating the Jerusalem Post disseminated a false report claiming that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been hospitalized. (The account was later suspended.)
In a statement on Monday night, X acknowledged its safety teams’ efforts to address problematic content. They reported taking action on tens of thousands of posts related to graphic media, violent speech, and hateful conduct. Additionally, the platform stated that it was actively monitoring antisemitic speech as part of its broader content moderation efforts.
During the weekend, various mischaracterized videos and posts went viral on X. One video, falsely claiming to show Israeli generals captured by Hamas fighters, garnered over 1.7 million views. However, the video actually depicted the detention of separatists in Azerbaijan.
Another post, viewed over 500,000 times on X, purported to show an airplane being shot down with the hashtag #PalestineUnderAttack. This video was, in fact, a clip from the video game Arma 3, as clarified in a “community note” appended to the post.
Community notes on X allow users to fact-check false posts. However, these notes often come after a false post has already been viewed thousands or even millions of times.
Elon Musk’s ownership of X has seen changes in platform policies, including the dismissal of thousands of employees responsible for detecting and addressing false claims. The platform has increasingly relied on community notes for content moderation.
Israel’s National Cyber Directorate used X to urge people not to spread unverified information, stating that “the rumor mill is overflowing.” The Anti-Defamation League also raised concerns about false and antisemitic claims circulating on the platform.
Experts in information operations have expressed alarm at the virality of misinformation during significant geopolitical events, highlighting the challenge faced by social media platforms in combating falsehoods.
Emerson Brooking, a senior resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, explained, “In times of war, social media becomes a propaganda battlefield; there is always an element of disinformation and exaggeration. Today, X is the main platform where this online battle plays out.”
Brooking emphasized that Musk’s policy changes have incentivized propagandists and scam artists. Paid verification on X allows any user to acquire a “verification” checkmark for $8 per month, blurring the lines between vetted journalists and those spreading disinformation.
While misinformation has been a longstanding issue on social media platforms during conflicts, it has intensified under Musk’s stewardship. Experts contend that platforms like X, which have fewer guardrails, can exacerbate the spread of false information.
Joe Galvin, a journalist specializing in open-source intelligence, noted, “The volume and reach of misinformation today, though, far exceeds what we saw in the early social media era conflicts and is exacerbated by platforms like X, which has taken the guardrails off and allows the most egregious types of disinformation to run rampant.”
Galvin further emphasized that platforms like X face a continuous struggle to combat falsehoods, particularly given the involvement of malicious users and state-backed actors employing advanced technology like AI.
As the challenge of addressing misinformation on social media persists, it underscores the importance of critical thinking and fact-checking in the digital age.
