When Elon Musk took over as the owner of Twitter, concerns were raised by researchers and election officials about the potential spread of misinformation. There was a fear that this could lead to intimidation, harassment, and ultimately undermine democracy.
Their fears were realized, with Musk himself emerging as a key driving force behind this. He has questioned the use of electronic voting machines and mail-in voting in US elections, while also promoting claims of widespread foreign voting.
As the super-rich owner of Tesla and other tech companies, Musk has vocalized his support for Donald Trump and has actively opposed measures like fact-checking and safety features on Twitter. He has advocated for paper ballots and in-person voting as the only secure methods.
Musk’s engagement with election misinformation led Maricopa County Recorder Steven Richer to give him a tour of voting facilities to address any misunderstandings. This is not the first time Richer has tried to correct Musk’s misinformation about elections.
Social media platforms have faced criticism for their handling of election misinformation, with Musk’s AI chatbot Grok spreading false information about voting deadlines. Secretaries of State have called on Musk to address these issues.
Despite Musk’s claims of election fraud, he has stated that he will accept the results of the 2024 election after a thorough investigation, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the validity of the outcome.
Source: www.theguardian.com
