A collective advocating for civil liberties urges Musk and Zuckerberg to intervene in the spread of false information related to elections.
"There's still time for tech giants like Elon Musk's X and Mark Zuckerberg's Meta to take a stand and do what's morally correct," stated Maya Wiley, head of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, on Monday.
Wiley's coalition, made up of over 200 civil rights organizations and other entities, urges these tech companies to distinguish truth from fiction more clearly.
"Social media platforms should be proactive," Wiley pointed out, noting that these networks don't necessarily have to be flooded with misinformation. "We have the capacity to balance free speech with verification, links, labeling, and ensuring algorithms demote, rather than promote, harmful misinformation."
However, social media companies have adopted a rather passive approach towards the spread of viral misinformation and propaganda in recent times. Initiatives supporting fact-checked news sources and discouraging unchecked vitriol have faced setbacks in the US, partly due to pressure from conservative groups who equate disinformation discussions with calls for censorship.
Musk has dismissed concerns over digital misinformation, even suggesting that those worried are the real culprits. He is also backing Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Zuckerberg, on the other hand, claims his goal for the 2024 election is to remain impartial, neither championing nor adversarial to any side.
However, media literacy experts argue that neutrality may inadvertently favor those spreading misinformation. The Leadership Conference's Center for Civil Rights and Technology spoke out after social networks were plagued with lies about Hurricanes Helene and Milton earlier this fall.
"The magnitude of false information circulating during the hurricanes was astounding – yet, sadly, not unforeseen," remarked Koustubh “K.J.” Bagchi, a vice president at the center. "Unfortunately, platforms are no longer enforcing the basic guidelines they themselves established for content moderation."
On Monday, the center is publicly urging social media companies to "establish and enforce civic and elections policies, tackle AI-generated and manipulated media, resource election teams to combat voting disinformation, limit extensive sharing of voting disinformation (e.g., rate limits, remove share buttons), and amplify credible and factual information about voting and the election."
The actions of social media firms are a matter of concern not just for civil rights groups, but also for political candidates, government agencies, and election technology providers.
Last week, Musk spread several debunked claims about the 2020 election, including fictitious allegations against Dominion Voting Systems, the same company that sued Fox News and reached a $787.5 million settlement over defamation claims.
Dominion responded with a comprehensive fact-check, stating, "These aren't matters of opinion; they are verifiable facts."
The Center for Civil Rights and Technology has predicted potential harms related to the election, such as "false information about ballot security, dropboxes, and mail-in voting," similar to Musk's previously propagated misinformation; "baseless accusations of voter fraud"; AI-generated lies "designed to incite outrage or cast doubt"; and "claims of false or incorrect election results."
Social media businesses have a responsibility to distinguish fact from fiction more effectively, as suggested by Maya Wiley's coalition. The coalition emphasizes the need for proactive measures like proper labeling, verification, and algorithm adjustments to combat misinformation.
The recent behavior of social media companies, such as Elon Musk's and Mark Zuckerberg's platforms, has raised concerns among civil rights groups, politicians, and election technology providers due to the spread of misinformation.
