Musk’s Twitter activities contribute to spreading misinformation

Elon Musk vowed to make Twitter the “most accurate source of information about the world,” yet he has repeatedly used his own account to amplify false claims from some of the internet’s most notorious disinformers, as demonstrated by an AFP analysis of his online activity.

Musk’s posts display a penchant for drawing attention to misinformation on topics ranging from the war in Ukraine to the attack on US Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s husband. Just last week, the billionaire gave credence to a tweet suggesting that doctors misdiagnosed flu cases as Covid-19 deaths.

“One of the greatest mysteries of Covid-19: Where did the flu go in 2020 and 2021?” an account called “KanekoaTheGreat” asked, prompting Musk to respond: “Good question.”

Since snapping up Twitter for a cool $44 billion nearly six months ago, the outspoken entrepreneur has replied to this particular account, known for promoting the QAnon conspiracy theory, at least 40 times. In comparison, he has only responded to a few other accounts more during the same period.

Using data from PolitiTweet, a website that tracked public figures’ posts until Twitter cut off its access, AFP reviewed thousands of replies Musk published between late October and March.

Among the billionaire’s dubious shares were a fabricated CNN segment, a phony quote he dubbed “wise words,” and a false claim that police escorted a rioter through the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. He also drew attention to a post blaming mass shootings on LGBTQ individuals and endorsed a fake casualty count from Ukraine.

Musk hasn’t shied away from downplaying Covid-19 either, actively promoting spurious claims about vaccines causing blood clots, miscarriages, and heart problems.

“We are running out of ‘conspiracies’ that turned out to be true!” the Twitter owner quipped in March, replying to a tweet that listed Covid-19 and vaccine safety among the “biggest media lies.”

Just days later, he stated that the “best way to fight misinformation is to respond with accurate information.”

Experts argue that Musk’s activity is troubling, due not only to his vast online influence, but also because it reveals his thought process as someone who determines the policies of a major social media platform.

“Musk has almost 135 million Twitter followers and forced his engineers to increase the reach of his tweets, so we should worry when he spreads misinformation,” noted Brendan Nyhan, a Dartmouth College professor who studies misperceptions in politics. “I’m most worried, though, about what these tweets reveal about the judgment of the person who determines the policies of a major social media platform.”

– Musk’s feed –

Researchers have linked recent changes in Twitter’s policy, including Musk’s reinstatement of suspended accounts and its revamp of verification practices, to surges in misinformation.

NewsGuard, a company that assesses websites’ credibility, discovered that accounts paying for Twitter’s subscription service are flooding the site with false claims.

Musk himself is shining a spotlight on some of these accounts.

“Got the Elon Musk stamp of approval,” boasted “KanekoaTheGreat” on Telegram after one such reply.

A January study from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based think tank, documented a “staggering” rise in Musk’s interactions with right-wing accounts since acquiring Twitter, including profiles other research flagged as spreaders of US election misinformation.

Musk has repeatedly retweeted content from sources such as the pro-Donald Trump page “Catturd,” the anti-LGBTQ account “Libs of TikTok,” and the conspiratorial website ZeroHedge.

Ian Miles Cheong, a far-right blogger, has received at least 60 replies from Musk, putting him among only a few other users who can claim similar interaction levels, according to AFP’s analysis. In one case, Musk drew attention to a tweet blaming Joe Biden for an immigration program that started under Trump.

“Musk is elevating some of the worst voices on Twitter,” remarked Nyhan. “These interactions are likely to increase the reach and prominence of the accounts.”

In certain instances, the Twitter boss has played a role in mainstreaming false narratives.

After an intruder broke into Pelosi’s California home and struck her husband with a hammer in October, Musk tweeted a link to an article alleging he was drunk and fighting with a male prostitute. The hashtag #Pelosigaylover soon became a trending topic on Twitter.

The combination of court filings and security footage from the incident debunked these claims, which originated from a site with a history of publishing misinformation. By then, however, the damage was already done.

“It’s really sad for the country that people of that high visibility would separate themselves from the facts and the truth in such a blatant way,” Nancy Pelosi lamented. “It is traumatizing to those affected by it. They don’t care about that, obviously.”

Twitter replied to AFP’s requests for comment with the poop emoji, an auto-reply initiated by Musk in March.