(AFP) – Elon Musk said Thursday that a feature on his social media platform X, which allows users to fact-check potentially misleading posts, was being “gamed” over Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelensky and vowed to “fix” it. Musk spoke after his ally US President Donald Trump turned on his one-time ally Zelensky in recent days, accusing the Ukrainian leader of being a “dictator” and having started Ukraine’s war with Russia — narratives long pushed by Moscow.
The about-face has seen social media users, including stunned European officials and journalists, take to X in particular to defend Ukraine and Zelensky. Many have utilized the “Community Notes” feature, which allows users to attach content to posts that could contain misinformation to debunk them. “Unfortunately, @CommunityNotes is increasingly being gamed by governments & legacy media. Working to fix this,” Musk wrote on X Thursday.
“It should be utterly obvious that a Zelensky-controlled poll about his OWN approval is not credible!!” he continued, adding: “In reality, he is despised by the people of Ukraine, which is why he has refused to hold an election.” Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Zelensky’s five-year term expired last year, but Ukrainian law does not require elections during wartime. According to a survey carried out this month by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Zelensky has a 57 percent approval rating and is “maintaining his legitimacy.”
Disinformation has long been rife on social media, which remains a leading source of news in the United States, where traditional journalism outlets such as newspapers are shuttering at a rapid rate. Musk rolled out Community Notes after he purchased the social media platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022 and overhauled many of its safety and moderation features.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said last month that it would start to imitate Community Notes rather than using professional fact-checkers. A handful of moderate Republicans have also blasted Trump’s shift over Ukraine.
“Putin started this war. Putin committed war crimes. Putin is the dictator who murdered his opponents. The EU nations have contributed more to Ukraine. Zelensky polls over 50%. Ukraine wants to be part of the West, Putin hates the West,” congressman Don Bacon from Nebraska wrote on X Wednesday. “I don’t accept George Orwell’s doublethink,” he added, referring to the author of the dystopian novel “1984.”
© 2024 AFP
