– Elon Musk’s post violating X’s rules was taken down on the platform
– Claims about cannibalism in Haiti have been spreading on X
– Musk laid off content moderation staff and reports of hateful speech and disinformation have surged on the platform
Elon Musk shared a graphic clip on X (formerly known as Twitter) in response to an NBC News article about violence in Haiti. The clip depicted cannibalism, which violated X’s rules and was subsequently taken down. The US State Department and Doctors Without Borders have not found any credible reports of cannibalism in Haiti, despite the spread of these claims on X. Musk tied the rumors to fears of Haitian immigration to the US, expressing support for screening immigrants for such behaviors.
Since Musk took over X in 2022 and renamed it, reports of hate speech and disinformation on the platform have surged. Musk, who claims to be a “free speech absolutist,” reduced the number of content moderation staff on the platform, leading to an increase in inappropriate content. X has ignored requests from journalists and has not responded to queries about Musk’s posts or the rise in harmful content on the platform.
The videos of alleged cannibalistic behavior in Haiti were likely created by violent gangs to intimidate locals. Musk’s sharing of the graphic clip, even though unverified, fueled the spread of misinformation and raised concerns about the impact of harmful content on social media platforms. Despite the lack of credible evidence, the claims about cannibalism in Haiti continue to circulate on X, demonstrating the challenges of managing and moderating online content effectively.