Elon Musk’s X Introduces Community Notes Requests to Combat Misinformation

Elon Musk's social media platform, X, is piloting a new feature that allows users to request fact-checks on potentially misleading posts. This initiative builds upon X's existing Community Notes system, a crowdsourced approach to verifying information.

X New Pilot Program: Users Can Request Fact-Checks

Following user demand, X is testing a feature where users can flag posts for potential fact-checking through Community Notes. This pilot program is currently available on the web version of X, with plans to expand to Android and iOS soon.

To request a fact-check, eligible users with verified phone numbers can click the "..." menu on any X post and choose the option. If a post receives five or more requests within 24 hours, X will trigger the creation of a Community Note.

Limitations and Evolving Criteria

To prevent spam and ensure valuable contributions, X has implemented limitations. Only verified users can request fact-checks, with a daily limit of five requests per user. This limit can be adjusted based on the effectiveness of requests and user agreement on the need for fact-checking.

X will also involve its top contributors, determined by the helpfulness ratings of their past notes, to respond to these requests. These contributors represent diverse viewpoints and their eligibility is dynamic, changing as users rate their notes.

The criteria for requesting fact-checks are intentionally simple during this pilot phase, but X anticipates them to evolve based on user feedback and the effectiveness of requests for contributors.

Gauging Helpfulness and Addressing Concerns

X emphasizes providing accurate and informative notes to enhance user understanding of post content. The platform partners with professional reviewers from the Associated Press and Reuters to verify factual accuracy. Additionally, X monitors user ratings of notes to ensure alignment between top contributors and the broader user base.

While acknowledging the subjectivity of helpfulness, X aims to ensure that notes deemed helpful offer a well-rounded perspective, not solely reflecting one viewpoint.

Furthermore, X is allowing half of its top contributors to request fact-checks during the pilot. This will help assess the potential benefits of contributors having both writing and requesting capabilities.

Community Notes in the Context of Misinformation

X's initiative arrives amidst growing concerns about misinformation and disinformation online. The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently identified these issues as the most severe global risk anticipated over the next two years.

WEF warns that widespread misinformation can lead to various consequences, including violent protests, hate crimes, and government control of information. While Musk advocates for free speech, some, like EU regulators, question the effectiveness of Community Notes compared to content removal in tackling misinformation.

The EU has expressed doubts about the system's effectiveness and urged Elon Musk to demonstrate its viability. X claims to have safeguards against abuse, including investigations into notes with declining quality and temporary measures to limit visibility.

The Impact on Grok and Open Questions

Following the introduction of Community Notes, Musk announced that posts "corrected" by the system would be ineligible for revenue share. This move aimed to discourage sensationalism and prioritize factual accuracy. While some creators voiced concerns about potential misinterpretations by the system, X reported attracting over 500,000 contributors and 360 million global note views.

However, a recent Wall Street Journal report revealed instances of Grok, X's news-dispensing chatbot, amplifying misleading information. This raises questions about how, if at all, Community Notes might be used to prevent Grok from mistaking jokes for factual news reports. X has yet to respond to inquiries regarding this aspect.

The pilot program for user-requested fact-checks marks a step towards addressing misinformation on X. However, the system's effectiveness and its impact on news curation through Grok remain to be seen.