In a recent policy shift, X (previously known as Twitter) has decided to broaden the spectrum of what is considered ‘newsworthy’ on its platform in light of the ongoing conflict involving Hamas in Israel. This move has come as a response to the escalating situation, which is seeing an increased user activity in the region.
In the past couple of days, weโve seen an increase in daily active users on @X in the conflict area, plus there have been more than 50 million posts globally focusing on the weekendโs terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas.
— Safety (@Safety) October 10, 2023
As the events continue to unfold rapidly, a cross-companyโฆ
A new take on what’s ‘newsworthy’
Previously, a ‘newsworthiness’ exception was provided to accounts boasting a following of at least 100,000. However, as reported by TechCrunch, this barrier has now been lifted. The revised policy extends this exception to “high profile” accounts without a specified follower count, provided they represent “a current or potential member of a local, state, national or supra-national governmental or legislative body.” This previously was a privilege enjoyed only by elected officials and governmental figures.
X’s Safety account highlighted a noticeable increase in daily active users from the affected region, alongside over 50 million posts concerning the conflict. The platform reiterated its commitment to “protecting the conversation on X” as events continue to unfold.
Addressing misinformation while staying updated
X’s recent updates on its Public Interest Policy over the weekend reflect the platform’s endeavour to balance the informative aspect with the potential harm certain content could cause. As it develops, the situation poses challenges in filtering out content, especially when the public seeks real-time updates on the ongoing conflict.
Moreover, the platform also took action against “newly created Hamas-affiliated accounts” to curb the dissemination of “terrorist content.” Nonetheless, this amendment to the ‘newsworthiness’ policy might pave the way for misinformation regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict and other issues to linger on X where it might have been previously removed.
The shifting stance of X towards misinformation leans towards a more laissez-faire approach (which implies that X is opting for a more hands-off strategy, where the platform may be allowing more content to flow freely, even if it might be misleading or false) under the ownership of Elon Musk. The platform is gradually transitioning towards relying on Community Notes to garner contextual information regarding posts that could be false or misleading.
A report by The Information disclosed that X had discontinued a tool aimed at curtailing coordinated misinformation campaigns. This tool was instrumental in identifying instances where multiple accounts shared the same piece of possibly manipulated or wrongly labelled media. The discontinuation of this tool was reportedly a cost-cutting measure.
Furthermore, while X managed to flag several misleading posts about the conflict, a CNBC review disclosed that many other posts carrying a similar video and caption slipped through the cracks. The tool X recently phased out might have significantly aided in such scenarios.
