X users with verified blue badges are responsible for spreading a significant portion of misinformation regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, says a report by NewsGuard. The study focused on the first week of the conflict, from October 7th to October 14th, analysing the 250 most-engaged posts that promoted false or unsubstantiated narratives related to the war.
According to the study, accounts verified by X posted 186 of the 250 most-engaged posts propagating misleading narratives about the Israel-Hamas war. In just one week, posts propagating these misconceptions garnered 1,349,979 engagements and were watched over 100 million times worldwide.
X uses its "Community Notes" tool to try and counteract disinformation, just 79 out of 250 postings had a note attached to them. This indicates that only approximately 32% of the time did a note appear on some of the most damaging disinformation posts on the network.
According to the report, X seemed to be the primary platform where fake narratives about the Israel-Hamas war went viral before spreading to other social media platforms, even though they were found on other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, and more.
The report also highlighted modifications to the X verification procedure. Users used to be validated according to "authenticity, notability, and activity." But under the existing procedure, users can become verified by adding a profile photo without stating that it has to be of the account holder or a genuine person, paying a $8 fee, and having their phone number validated.
Meanwhile, the EU, and US authorities have also asked some important questions about the spread of misinformation on platforms like Meta, X and other platforms.