In the run-up to the 2020 election, online platforms have been monitoring misinformation. Now, days before the election, social media companies are taking a more hands-off approach — especially X.
Ari Shapiro, host:
There are plenty of places to follow tomorrow’s election results. Your local public radio station is one. Another is social media. Many major platforms have become more permissive about what people can say than they were during the last presidential election, and that makes disinformation researchers nervous about the spread of lies or even violence. NPR tech correspondent Bobby Allen is here to tell us more. Hi Bobby.
BOBBY ALLEN, by phone: Hi, Ari.
SHAPIRO: So, how are social media companies preparing for the election?
ALLEN: Well, most of the major platforms say they’ll be alert to any attempts at voter interference and false claims of victory. This will be done through a combination of automated systems and human supervisors. Google and Meta are also working to limit the time frame in which advertisers can purchase new election ads. So most big tech companies say they have guardrails in place to combat election-related bad actors. But as I mentioned, social media researchers are very skeptical, because they have observed companies falling behind on their commitments and enforcing policies less. A lot has changed since the last presidential election in 2020.
SHAPIRO: Tell us more about that. What has changed?
ALLEN: Well, the most obvious change is Twitter, now X. Elon Musk has turned the platform into a megaphone for Donald Trump’s re-election. And with that came large numbers of MAGA fans and very few content rules that would have taken down false claims about the election. But elsewhere, Ari, other platforms have also become lenient. Studies have shown that YouTube has backed away from previous commitments to crack down on videos promoting the Big Lie, the false idea that the 2020 election was stolen. Many provocateurs are going viral on YouTube, TikTok and X by sowing doubt about the 2024 outcome already. I spoke with Marshall Van Alstyne about this. He studies social media at Boston University, and he’s really concerned about platforms that enable election-related conspiracy theories.
Marshall Van Alstyne: To some extent, they set the stage for violence or set the stage for conspiracy theories. Hopefully it won’t be on the same scale as what we observed on January 6, but we may see some bad behavior after that as people believe their votes weren’t counted or some areas were stolen from them.
SHAPIRO: Is he talking about original posts from real social media users or paid ads or what?
ALLEN: Yeah, you know, both really because advertising was also an issue. For example, dark money groups are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on Facebook, pushing ads with outright brazen lies, such as the possibility of the election being postponed or Kamala Harris withdrawing from the election.
SHAPIRO: There was a lot of misinformation in the last presidential election. Why would the rules be more flexible now than they were then?
Allen: Yeah, that’s counterintuitive, isn’t it? It’s really hard, Ari, to overstate how much of a ripple effect Elon Musk’s X had in terms of setting the tone for all platforms, you know. Researchers say X has become a free-for-all with very few consequences from Washington. This has given other social media sites permission to be more flexible with their rules. In fact, this tech reform group called The Free Press released a study just days ago, finding that almost all social media platforms are, “backing away from the commitments they made in the wake of the 2020 election.” So this was troubling for social media researchers. Another concern is Ari, the encrypted messaging app Telegram. We’re seeing very large groups forming there to discuss ways to question the results of the presidential election. Telegram is another app known for its content moderation. So, in short, be very careful on social media tomorrow and after the election.
SHAPIRO: I will. NPR’s Bobby Allen. Thank you.
Allen: Thanks, Ari.
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