WASHINGTON: X influencers are monetizing misinformation about Middle East conflicts using the platform’s controversial policies, which researchers say prioritizes engagement over accuracy.
Since Elon Musk acquired X Company (formerly Twitter) in 2022, the site has reinstated thousands of previously banned accounts and added conspiracy theorists to its paid verification system, critics say. introduced.
X also rolled out an ad revenue sharing program for its verified users, who often spread hateful and false information in order to profit from the platform.
Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), said: “Today’s cynical paid commentators are using Mr. Musk’s platform to raise their profile and, as a result, voice their opinions. “This is a deliberate attempt to provoke anger in an effort to generate more revenue.” AFP.
The It is fueled in part by prominent American influencers such as Jackson Hinkle, who falsely claimed that
The incendiary post comes amid growing concerns about broader conflagrations in the Middle East.
Using a reverse image search, AFP fact checkers found that the video actually depicts an attack in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
In another provocative post debunked by AFP, Hinkle falsely claimed that Yemen had “declared war on Israel” in support of the Palestinians.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have targeted Israel with missiles and drones, but neither they nor the country’s internationally recognized government have officially declared war.
In addition to raising tens of thousands of dollars on the crowdfunding site, Hinkle is offering “premium content” to X subscribers for $3 a month.
“Your support will help me continue exposing the deep state even after I am banned and monetized by YouTube, Twitch, PayPal, and Venmo,” his appeal reads.
In an interview with AFP, Hinkle, whose false posts have garnered millions of views, declined to say how much money he was making from X, instead focusing on wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. criticized the press.
Hinkle makes at least $3,000 a month from paying subscribers, according to CCDH estimates based on engagement data on subscriber-only posts.
Last August, Hinkle revealed on X that he made $1,693 through the ad revenue sharing scheme, but complained that other users with less engagement were getting bigger rewards.
UK-based creator Sulaiman Ahmed and Danish doctor Anastasia Maria Lupis, both of whom AFP has repeatedly fact-checked on war-related misinformation, have also joined the X verification program and paid Benefit from a subscriber program.
Neither person responded to requests for comment.
CCDH’s Ahmed said Musk has “created a platform of dizzying chaos where authoritative sources struggle to cut through the noise and be heard, while liars and haters are put on a pedestal and and generate revenue for the platform.”
X did not respond to AFP’s request for comment.
To be eligible for a share of ad revenue, users must meet certain requirements, including having an $8 monthly premium subscription to X and having at least 500 followers.
Last year, Musk said posts using Community Notes (an X feature that allows users to refute claims and provide additional context) would be “not eligible for revenue share.”
“The idea is to maximize incentives for accuracy over sensationalism,” Musk wrote about X.
But Jack Brewster of media watchdog NewsGuard told AFP that “viral posts promoting misinformation are often not flagged by community notes.”
In October, NewsGuard analyzed the 250 most popular posts promoting one of 10 prominent false or unsubstantiated narratives about the Israel-Hamas war.
It turns out that only 32% of these were reported by community notes.
The following month, NewsGuard identified ads from 86 major companies, including top brands, governments, and nonprofit organizations, in viral posts promoting “false or grossly misleading claims about the Israel-Hamas war.”
Among them was an FBI ad placed on a post by Hinkle that falsely claimed to show video of Israeli military helicopters firing on Israeli citizens.
News Guard said the video actually shows Israeli warplanes over Gaza, adding that the post had nearly 2 million views and had no community notes.
“Community Notes, as it is currently structured, is not a system that scales to cover every situation,” said Jacob Shapiro, a Princeton University professor who was part of the program’s advisory group before Musk’s acquisition. he told AFP.
“Expecting only volunteer workers to capture that content as a defense against allowing people to monetize that content reflects unrealistic expectations of the tool’s capabilities. Masu.”