With the midterm elections looming, misinformation experts are sounding the alarms around Elon Musk's proposed changes to Twitter.
On pre-Musk Twitter, verification badges were provided to celebrities, journalists, politicians, and other public figures as a way of distinguishing their accounts from those of impersonators. But under the new Twitter Blue system—which is set to launch Monday in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—anyone will be able to receive a verification badge for a monthly $8 fee, negating the original purpose of verification.
Needless to say, the product’s November 7 rollout date raises obvious red flags. It will go into effect one day before the midterms, whose results are expected to be challenged by a deluge of right-wing misinformation.
The company’s internal havoc also stands to impact the midterms, as the layoffs have led to less content oversight. “Twitter was probably THE most responsive platform when I covered misinformation in the 2020 presidential election,” Bloomberg reporter. “Now? Comms has gone dark.… To say I’m worried for next week’s election doesn’t even begin to cover it.
, who noted how staffers have warned that Musk has “cut the moderation staff so severely that there’s no way they’re gonna catch up in time to these lies.”
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