Elon Musk, the CEO of X (formerly Twitter), has sparked controversy by sharing a manipulated video of Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign video on his platform. The video, created by right-wing YouTuber Mr. Reagan, portrays Vice President Harris as the “ultimate diversity hire” and includes derogatory comments about President Joe Biden. Despite violating X’s terms of service, Musk’s repost of the video has been viewed over 166 million times.
This incident sheds light on the issue of political misinformation and deepfakes in the digital realm. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, deepfakes of Kamala Harris have gained traction on platforms like TikTok and X. However, policymakers are struggling to address the problem effectively, leaving the public vulnerable to deceptive AI-generated content.
While TikTok claims to be taking action against these videos, X has made no such moves. This lack of moderation has contributed to a decline in revenue for the platform, with reports showing a 53 percent decrease since last year. However, Musk remains committed to maintaining X as a “free speech platform,” despite the negative consequences of allowing political misinformation and conspiracy theories.
This incident raises concerns about the responsibility of platform owners like Musk in combating misinformation and protecting users from manipulated content. It also highlights the need for policymakers to develop regulations and guidelines to address the growing threat of deepfakes in politics.
In conclusion, Elon Musk’s decision to share a manipulated video on his platform has sparked controversy and brought attention to the issue of political misinformation and deepfakes. It underscores the challenges faced by policymakers and platform owners in combating deceptive AI-generated content. As the 2024 presidential election approaches, it is crucial that measures are taken to protect the public from the harmful effects of manipulated media.
