Top Israel/Hamas misinformation spreaders use Elon Musk’s paid “verification”
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Nathan Stirk )
"Verified" accounts on Elon Musk's X platform spread nearly three-quarters of the 250 most viral posts containing commonly shared misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war, according to a study released yesterday by NewsGuard, a company that has worked with the European Commission on misinformation initiatives.
After buying Twitter nearly a year ago, Musk overhauled the system for doling out blue checkmarks so that anyone who pays $8 a month can be "verified." Accounts verified as being notable and authentic under the pre-Musk system had their checkmarks removed.
"A NewsGuard analysis found that 'verified' accounts on X are superspreaders of misinformation about the conflict, boosting falsehoods while displaying a 'verification' blue checkmark that verifies nothing," the report said.