In Elon Musk's "election integrity" community on X, false claims proliferate

Elon Musk's governmental action committee has created a group connected his level X that has go a repository for predetermination misinformation, galvanizing much than 58,000 members to study instances of "voter fraud aliases irregularities" that are often unsubstantiated, misleading aliases flat-out fabricated.

The "Election Integrity Community," which launched successful precocious October, has hundreds of caller posts each day, galore of which incorporate misleading aliases mendacious claims, CBS News found. Misinformation experts are concerned that mobilizing group to stitchery unverified claims of predetermination fraud is fueling nan dispersed of mendacious narratives that undermine spot successful predetermination security.

Musk has go a salient sound successful nan 2024 predetermination pinch his outspoken nationalist and financial support of erstwhile President Donald Trump, and he often uses his X relationship to amplify predetermination misinformation. A CBS News investigation found that half of Musk's posts connected predetermination information this twelvemonth contained mendacious aliases misleading claims. 

Many of nan claims originate elsewhere connected X and are reposted onto nan organization page. Some of nan posts falsely claimed that voting machines are "flipping votes" from Trump to Harris. Other posts reshared a fabricated video that officials opportunity was apt created by a Russian troll farm. Another recirculated a debunked declare that Michigan voters were casting aggregate ballots. 

Max Read, a elder interrogator astatine nan Institute for Strategic Dialogue, said nan X organization could service arsenic a "one extremity shop" for users looking to amplify predetermination fraud claims. 

"The X organization is benignant of a consolidation constituent of a batch of different false, unverified claims astir nan predetermination process," Read said. 

Some users successful nan organization person attempted to dox individuals they falsely impeach of predetermination fraud. In 1 instance, users tried to place a postal worker dropping disconnected ballots astatine an predetermination agency who they falsely claimed was illegally "harvesting" votes. A region executive told NBC News nan postal worker was being harassed arsenic a consequence of nan video.

Musk's X organization echoes nan "Stop nan Steal" efforts connected Facebook during nan 2020 election, wherever Trump supporters dispersed mendacious claims and organized protests that culminated successful nan riot astatine nan Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021.

The X group is portion of a broader effort "built connected years of nan Big Lie from 2020 and 2021," said Nora Benavidez, a civilian authorities lawyer astatine Free Press helping to monitor societal media platforms' preparedness to grip predetermination misinformation. 

"Efforts to intimidate voters aliases make them consciousness for illustration location could beryllium unit is really a measurement to already works nan seeds that a Trump nonaccomplishment is illegitimate," Benavidez said.

Since Musk took complete X, formerly Twitter, successful October 2022, he has reinstated accounts antecedently suspended for violating nan platform's policies and fired nan section responsible for contented moderation, opting alternatively for a crowdsourced method that often fails to quickly debunk mendacious claims. 

"He has a ton of powerfulness complete nan level and complete a level that has a batch of users," 

said Steven Rathje, a postdoctoral interrogator astatine New York University who has studied changes connected X since Musk's takeover. "He's changing nan accusation fare we acquisition connected a regular basis." 

In:
• Misinformation
• Elon Musk
• 2024 Elections
• Twitter