Social media giants slide back on election misinformation defenses ahead of 2024 vote
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Social media platforms like Meta and YouTube have backslid on commitments to tackle election misinformation and are less prepared for 2024 than 2020.
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Twitter under Elon Musk is seen as the biggest concern, having gutted its election integrity team and reinstated banned accounts.
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TikTok's growing influence in politics is a wild card, as its ability to handle election misinformation at scale remains unproven.
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Deepfakes and AI disinformation remain threats but more basic problems like algorithms that reward sensational content are likely bigger issues.
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The report recommends social platforms hire more human moderators, install "circuit breakers" on viral content, and generally brace for events on the scale of January 6, 2021.