After months of lawsuits, arguments, verbal scuffles, and the narrow escape of a full-blown trial, Elon Musk finally finalized his $44 billion deal to acquire Twitter in October.
According to the New York Times, Musk, a self-described "free speech absolutist," wants to make Twitter a "freewheeling place" for all opinions and reverse Trump's ban from the service.
A wave of criticism erupted after Musk announced that the verification process would be changed as the blue tick will appear next to the usernames of those who have paid the Twitter Blue subscription, the service’s premium features.
Viral controversial tweets were sent from fake verified accounts, including fake verified accounts of George W. Bush and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Our previous blog reported on a Twitter verification troll that targeted Eli Lilly, causing the company’s shares to drop $14 billion.
Tweets from the verified Twitter account @jesus also went viral.
Satirical content and conspiracy theories were present in these tweets.
Fake Eli Lilly Twitter Account Claims Insulin Is Free
On November 11, @EliLillyandCo, a verified Twitter account, tweeted, "We are excited to announce that insulin is now free." The blue tick made the account appear legitimate.
Prior to the account suspension, the tweet gained thousands of likes and retweets.
The genuine company later apologized for the misleading tweet and advised users to only trust
Another fake verified Twitter account, @LillyPadCo, apologized for the previous impersonator and claimed to be the official account.
Did Elon Musk Fire Misinformation Staff Members?
Musk laid off hundreds of employees from the content moderation team, including those combating misinformation, following his chaotic acquisition of the company.
Days before the midterm elections in the United States, the new Twitter CEO fired members of the public policy team that accredited politician accounts on the platform, according to Politico.
According to CBS News, Musk is further reducing the number of contractors working for the service and content watchdogs as the company moves to eliminate an unknown number of contract jobs.
Did Twitter Remove Its Misinformation Policies?
On November 20, The Hill reported that Twitter had removed policies regarding misinformation.
The headline went viral and was subject to conspiracy theories linking the allegation to the midterm elections.
However, Twitter still has clear misinformation policies. Changes may have affected these policies after Musk took over the company, but the platform still shows its guidelines.
Researchers' Concerns about Twitter Misinformation
Tufts University researchers have expressed concern about misinformation and conspiracy theories that may influence the political discourse on Twitter ahead of the midterm elections in the United States.
According to the researchers, "early indications show the platform is heading in the wrong direction under his leadership — at an especially inconvenient time for American democracy."
The researchers tracked narratives about civil war, election fraud, citizen policing of voting, and allegations of pedophilia on Twitter from July to October. According to the study's report, they discovered that the discussion demonstrated a dedication to combating misinformation and hate speech.
"The quality of the conversation has deteriorated post-Musk takeover," the researchers wrote.
According to the report, prior to Musk's acquisition of Twitter, posts responding to misinformation were typically many times more popular than the original false posts.
Meanwhile, according to the Tufts report, conspiracy theories centered on unfounded allegations of pedophilia have received less resistance from the new version of Twitter under Musk's control.
Misbar’s Sources
