X unveils first transparency report under Elon Musk, reveals surge in content removals
In a stark contrast to its previous practices, the social media platform X reports millions of account suspensions and post removals, raising questions about its moderation policies and the impact of recent leadership changes.
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On Wednesday, social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, released its first transparency report since being acquired by Elon Musk, revealing a significant uptick in content moderation actions.
The report indicates that in the first half of the year, the company suspended nearly 5.3 million accounts - an alarming increase from the 1.6 million accounts suspended during the same period in 2022.
The report highlights that X removed or labelled over 10.6 million posts for violating its platform rules. Of these, approximately 5 million were categorized under the company's "hateful conduct" policy. Additional categories of flagged content included 2.2 million posts related to "violent content" and 2.6 million concerning "abuse and harassment." Notably, the company did not differentiate between posts that were outright removed versus those that were merely labelled.
In a prior blog post in April 2023, X noted that it had required users to remove 6.5 million pieces of content violating its rules in the first six months of 2022, marking a 29% increase from the latter half of 2021. This escalation in content moderation practices raises questions about the platform's environment since Musk's acquisition.
Critics have pointed to Musk's leadership as a catalyst for transforming what was once a vibrant social media space into one characterized by chaos and toxicity. Musk's controversial history - including posting conspiracy theories and engaging in public spats with political leaders-has fuelled its perception. The platform is currently facing a ban in Brazil due to ongoing disputes between Musk and a Brazilian Supreme Court judge regarding free speech. far-right accounts, and misinformation.
To enforce its rules, X employs a combination of machine learning and human review. The automated systems either take action or escalate content to human moderators. According to the company, posts violating its policy constituted less than 1% of all content on the platform.
When Musk sought to purchase Twitter in 2022, he positioned his acquisition as a move to uphold free speech on the platform. However, since taking ownership in October 2022, he has implemented extensive layoffs and operational changes, prompting a notable exodus of celebrities, public figures, and everyday users from the platform.
