After the recent series of deadly attacks by Hamas on Israel and the subsequent Israeli military response, a collaborative initiative emerged among journalists, researchers, open-source intelligence (OSINT) experts, and fact-checkers. Their collective aim was to promptly authenticate the multitude of unprocessed video clips and images shared online by individuals on the scene.
Nevertheless, individuals turning to X (formerly Twitter) for information about the conflict were inundated with false and misleading content.
In today’s world, nearly every significant global event experiences a swift spread of disinformation as various actors try to shape the narrative. However, the sheer magnitude and velocity at which disinformation flooded conversations surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict, particularly on X, were unmatched.
In the words of OSINT researcher Justin Peden:
Back in 2021, when Peden reported on the Gaza escalation, his feed was predominantly filled with content shared by individuals present on the ground or trustworthy news organizations. However, this past weekend, he observed that locating verified content or genuine primary sources on X had become exceptionally arduous.
To make matters worse, the platform’s algorithm, prioritizing users willing to pay $8 a month for a premium subscription, catapulted posts from individuals with blue checkmarks to the forefront of news feeds for those seeking information about the conflict.
Instead of encountering accurate, fact-checked information, X users were bombarded with deceptive content. This included video game footage deceptively presented as genuine footage of a Hamas attack and images falsely depicting firework celebrations in Algeria as Israeli strikes on Hamas.
Furthermore, fabricated images, such as soccer superstar Ronaldo holding the Palestinian flag, were circulating. Additionally, a three-year-old video from the Syrian civil war was repurposed to make it appear as if it were captured during the recent events.
These images and videos garnered hundreds of thousands of views and engagements. While some of this content eventually received a disclaimer from X’s flawed community fact-checking system, a significant portion remained unattended.
Adding to the problem, Twitter CEO Elon Musk exacerbated the situation by endorsing a source known for disseminating misinformation, just as he has done in the past.
Musk took back his recommendation shortly after sharing it, but more than 11 million people had already seen it by then.