Twitter/X has the highest disinformation rate among major platforms, according to new report and EU analysis

Since Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter (now X), the platform has been under even more intense scrutiny for its management of misleading and false content.

According to the new "Climate of Misinformation: Ranking Big Tech" CAAD report, Twitter/X lacks "a content moderation policy for user-generated content specifically aimed at reducing climate change misinformation", as well as "misinformation policies applied to all paid and organic content".

Unlike Meta (Facebook/Instagram), TikTok, and Pinterest, the platform fails to "include a clear and comprehensive definition of climate misinformation" and "a clearly articulated process to flag or report misleading and harmful content". Additionally, X does not provide "additional resources with accurate information on climate change", such as an information center.

Other problems plaguing Twitter, but also Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, and YouTube, are the lack of updates for users when they report content, the access of non-personal data for researchers or academics, and public information on algorithm changes and the impact of misinformation.

Pinterest was the only social media network providing an annual report "on climate misinformation trends or concerns related to coordinated disinformation campaigns". While this platform received the most positive points for "leading the industry on policies that mitigate the spread of climate misinformation", Twitter received the lowest overall score, "having no substantive public transparency mechanisms, and offering no evidence of effective policy enforcement".

The report also highlights that "4 out of 5 platforms did not have a content moderation policy that includes a comprehensive, universal definition of climate misinformation" and that "most platforms lack policies that address greenwashing".

Along the same lines, Vera Jourová, the European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency, said that Twitter/X has the highest ratio of disinformation among large social media platforms and that the company has not done enough to address the problem.

She referred to the updates in the voluntary EU Code of Practice, linked to the legally binding European Digital Services Act (DSA), a code which various platforms have signed to fight misinformation. Musk’s company abandoned the pact last May, but obligations under the DSA remain, as fighting disinformation became mandatory as of August 25.

In her speech on September 26 at the European Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection, Jourová explained signatories have evaluated how easy it is to detect disinformation and how much engagement such content receives in three EU states. "X, former Twitter, who is not under the Code anymore is the platform with the largest ratio of mis/disinformation posts.", she stated.

Author: Marina Vanni