September 22, 2023
X, formerly Twitter, ranks last in managing climate misinformation on social media, according to a new report from Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD), a coalition of more than 50 environmental groups.
The report assessed major social media platforms on their policies and practices related to climate misinformation. X received a single point, the lowest score of any platform. YouTube came in second to last with 6 points, followed by Meta and Instagram at 8 points and TikTok at 9 points. Pinterest came out on top with 12 points.
The report found that X lacks clear policies that address climate misinformation, has no substantive public transparency mechanisms, and offers no evidence of effective policy enforcement.
“All the extreme weather events that have happened over the summer, whether it be the heat waves or the wildfires in Hawaii, misinformation has created a lot of confusion around the cause of the fires,” said Erika Seiber, a spokesperson for Friends of the Earth and Climate Action Against Disinformation Coalition.
The report also noted that the acquisition of X by Elon Musk last year has created uncertainty about the company’s policies on climate misinformation.
“Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company has created uncertainty about which policies are still standing and which are not,” the report said.
The report authors reached out to X and the other platforms mentioned in the report while compiling the information, but did not receive a response from X.
The Musk takeover of X has also had other consequences for climate activists and experts who once used the site for education and community building.
“There’s been a massive change. I get so much abuse and rude comments now,” Mark Maslin, a climate scientist professor at University College London, told The Guardian this year.
The sources for this piece include an article in Gizmodo.
