False information is spread more on X than other social networks, according to a report from the European Union.
The EU’s analytics firm, TrustLab, studied activity on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn and X – which was still referred to as Twitter in the report – in Poland, Slovakia and Spain.
TrustLab teams in each country searched the platforms for “disinformation keywords” and then analyzed how many of the posts containing those keywords spread misinformation using fact-check websites.
A variety of topics were covered, including politics, health care and the Russia-Ukraine war.
The pilot study found engagement was typically higher on posts with false information on X and YouTube, while TikTok had the opposite effect.
This report is being used as a benchmark, while the firm plans to conduct more detailed studies in other countries in the future.
European Commission VP for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova released a statement Tuesday, calling out X’s performance in the study and urging social networks to do more to prevent the spread of misinformation.
"Russian propaganda and disinformation is still very present on online platforms,” Jourova said. “This is not business as usual. The Kremlin fights with bombs in Ukraine, but with words everywhere else, including in the EU.”
The study was commissioned by Meta, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn as part of the European Commission’s Code of Practice — something Elon Musk pulled out of when he took over Twitter.
This insight comes at the same time X removed a feature that let users self-report political misinformation on the platform, according to CNN.
Taylor O'Bier
