In the messaging service X, users spread the so-called “liar list”, that is, a list of accounts that have been caught spreading incorrect, misleading or false information.
The list includes, among other things, several American influencers, accounts of Russian authorities, and the owner of X Elon Musk.
The list is based on comments made by X users on the platform. X users can add context or make corrections to updates they find misleading or false.
The list of “liars” also includes traditional media, such as The New York Post and El Mundo magazines, as well as the Belarusian media Nexta.
The Republican presidential candidate who recently returned to X Donald Trump is not on the list. Trump was banned from X from June 2021 until August 2023.
Neither is the Democratic presidential candidate Terrible Harris is not on the list, but the US president is on the list Joe Biden.
At the top of the list are accounts that often publish unclear, contradictory, false or provocative content. These accounts often have millions of followers.
For example, the fourth place on the list is an American political influencer Jackson Hinkle. Hinkle’s updates on the war in Gaza have gotten a lot of attention in X, the BBC a Russian-language news service reported last year.
Russia and China tampered with user accounts
Many of the accounts spreading disinformation seem on the surface to be accounts of ordinary people. Accounts almost invariably have an audience of hundreds of thousands or even millions of users.
This is not because the accounts are particularly charismatic or skilled at using the algorithm to their advantage, says someone familiar with algorithmic influence Mikko Alasaarela.
– Many of the big accounts that spread misinformation have previously focused on some other topic. Once grown to giant size, they can be flipped, i.e. change their purpose.
For example, the CHOQUEI account in the top three of X’s “liar list” claims to be an entertainment news site, but the account has also published false information about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Brazilian election.
The account has more than seven million followers.
Alasaarela explains that usually people start following accounts they like on X. For example, the account may publish funny memes.
– Many don’t even notice when the name of the account changes and it is harnessed to drive a new cause. The process can also be partially automated, the expert explains.
This is how Russia and China have acted, for example.
It is known that Russia has purposefully increased its X-accounts for up to ten years, before harnessing them for a new purpose.
The dark side of Western social media is that due to freedom of speech, disinformation also spreads effectively on social media platforms.
So, for example, it is possible for Russia and China to attack Western countries on their own platforms, says Alasaarela.
Musk’s changes added to the disinformation
According to the expert, the biggest paradox of social media is that some algorithms favor anti-social behavior, such as provocation, lying, slander and discord.
In X, the change became evident in 2022, when the company became owned by billionaire Elon Musk
– With Musk’s ownership, the amount of misleading and false information started to explode, Alasaarela states.
In 2022, X started phasing out moderators, i.e. people who review and control user-generated content.
Today, X’s content is moderated by volunteer users who can comment on updates. Notes are not moderation, because X does not delete updates that the community has made notes on, Alasaarela points out.
– The system is not without holes and therefore it can be easily manipulated, says the expert.
When Musk bought X in 2022, he started sharing users information about how X’s algorithm works.
According to Alasaarela, this led to many people starting to change their content so that the content would become more visible.
Because X’s algorithm favored emotional content, the conversation on X escalated.
– Although X has changed the algorithm after Musk’s exits, he became the one who gave the tools to entities that have a lot of resources and are motivated to steal and manipulate people’s attention. The amount of disinformation began to grow explosively, says Alasaarela.
Another change by Musk is related to the so-called blue badge, which indicates that account ownership has been verified.
Nowadays, anyone can buy it.
Musk has said that the reaction of a paying user to the update has a greater influence on the possible spread of content in X than a user who has not paid for using the service.
For example, Russia has acquired these brands in X to support its influence work.
Dictatorships with a lot of money have benefited from the fact that the sign is paid, because it helps spread their content, says Alasaarela
In July, the EU ruled that X’s certification marks mislead consumers and violate EU digital legislation.
Musk is becoming radicalized
Alasaarela points out that billionaire Musk is one of the most influential people in the world and he owns one of the most important messaging platforms in the world. That’s why it matters what kind of decisions he makes on the platform he owns.
– Under Musk’s ownership, X has become less and less transparent and increasingly favors his own opinions.
For example, the British media The Guardian reported last year that Musk changed X’s algorithm so that the platform pushes his own updates to the top of the home feed.
The Independent reports in August that Musk’s views have been radicalized since 2020. For example, Musk has spread conspiracy theories and barked at the traditional press.
During the US presidential elections this fall, Musk has harnessed X as the voice of the Republicans and Donald Trump’s support platform, says Alasaarela.
In September, Musk too declared the fight against the “woke virus” that worries the Republicans.