Elon Musk’s X said a week before India’s national elections that it would support the publishing of Community Notes, a crowdsourced fact-checking initiative, in the important international market.
According to X, more authors from India will be welcomed over time, with the first group starting to post remarks today. To dispel myths or offer more comprehensive thoughts, the contributors usually give more context to well-known postings. Users then assess these submissions based on many aspects, such as correctness and helpfulness.
The social network made it possible for users from a select few nations to submit Community Notes but only allowed users to view them internationally in December 2022.
In an effort to better give local context, the firm has gradually permitted members from several nations to start writing Community Notes. As of the program’s most recent launch, 69 countries have contributed.
Additionally, the business unveiled Community Notes—formerly known as Birdwatch—for photos and videos last year.
One of the final significant markets where Community Notes had not yet gone global was India. A few weeks remain until the national elections, thus numerous platforms are working to thwart any potential misinformation linked to the elections. X hasn’t, however, made any official announcement regarding its election-related activities in India.
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While Community Notes is proving useful for fact-checking postings on X, despite contributors providing context for tales, it has occasionally been unable to stop the spread of false information. The complicated, multilingual political environment in India could be a challenging test for the initiative.
Following a ban by the previous management, the corporation allowed political advertisements on the platform last year.
Due in large part to its legal battle with the government over the platform’s decision to restrict specific content, Twitter/X has had a difficult time operating in the Indian market. Due to directives from authorities, X removed some postings and accounts about Indian farmers’ protests earlier this year. The firm reaffirmed that a writ appeal contesting blocking orders was still underway in court at that point.
India has very tight social media laws, according to Musk, who stated as much in a conversation with the BBC last year. The company “can’t go beyond the laws of the country.”