Elon Musk’s Misleading Election Posts Viewed 1.2 Billion Times

False or misleading claims about the U.S. election posted by Elon Musk on X (formerly Twitter) have garnered nearly 1.2 billion views this year, according to a watchdog report. The report highlights Musk’s potential influence on the highly polarized race for the White House.

As the November election approaches, researchers are concerned that X has become a hub for political misinformation. Musk, who bought the platform in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, has been accused of influencing voters by spreading falsehoods on his personal account.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) identified 50 posts by Musk since January, which were debunked by independent fact-checkers. None of these posts displayed a “Community Note,” a tool promoted by X for users to add context to posts, raising concerns about its effectiveness in combating misinformation.

Imran Ahmed, CEO of CCDH, warned that Musk is using his position to spread disinformation that could lead to real-world consequences. The posts analyzed by CCDH included widely debunked claims, such as Democrats encouraging illegal immigration to “import voters” and allegations of election fraud. These claims have been viewed hundreds of millions of times.

Musk recently faced backlash for sharing an AI deepfake video mocking Vice President Kamala Harris, which was viewed by millions without any indication that it was satire. Critics argue that Musk’s actions are edging closer to election interference and are calling for public, regulatory, and advertiser accountability.

Musk is under increasing scrutiny for his influence on voters, especially after a recent incident where X’s AI chatbot, Grok, produced false information about election deadlines, which was amplified across other platforms. X has also faced criticism for its role in stoking tensions during far-right riots in England and has reduced its content moderation efforts, making it a haven for disinformation.