Disinformation on X: research and content moderation policies
Factsheet documenting how disinformation on X is researched and how the platform's content-moderation policies operate.
Executive summary
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This EU DisinfoLab factsheet, compiled by Nicolas Hénin and Maria Giovanna Sessa and last updated in January 2024, examines how disinformation research and content moderation function on X. The authors caveat that the document may already be outdated given the pace of policy change since the platform's change of ownership.
The factsheet describes X as exerting outsized influence on public discourse despite a fragile, never consistently profitable business model that constrains resources available for moderation. It traces the effects of Elon Musk's takeover, completed in October 2022, including substantial cuts to moderation staff, the reinstatement of previously suspended accounts, and algorithmic amplification of accounts associated with extremist and conspiracy content, alongside a reported spike in disinformation indicators following the acquisition.
It also notes X's withdrawal from the EU's voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation in May 2023 and the European Commission's formal proceedings against the platform under the DSA over risk management and content moderation, concluding that reduced compliance capacity has weakened its ability to counter disinformation.
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