Elon Musk-owned X Rolls Out Support for Posting Community Notes in India

In the weeks leading up to the national elections in India, Elon Musk-owned X announced the rollout of support for posting Community Notes in the country. This move is part of the company’s crowd-sourced fact-checking program, aimed at providing a platform for users to contribute to the fight against misinformation.

The first set of contributors from India will start posting notes from today, with more contributors being accepted over time. These contributors typically provide more context to popular posts, debunking myths or offering broader insights. The effectiveness of these submissions is then rated by users based on factors such as the helpfulness they provide and their accuracy.

In December 2022, X enabled the ability for people to view Community Notes related to posts globally. However, the ability to post such notes was initially limited to users from only a few countries. Over time, the company has expanded this feature, allowing members from different countries to start posting Community Notes to provide better local context. With the latest rollout, the program now has contributors in 69 countries.

Community Notes now active on India! https://t.co/cLcpcTIlcT

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 4, 2024

Last year, X also introduced Community Notes, previously called Birdwatch, for images and videos. This expansion to one of the last major markets where Community Notes had not been introduced comes just a few weeks before the national elections in India. Many platforms are making efforts to combat potential election-related misinformation, although X hasn’t made any specific announcement about its efforts for the Indian elections.

Despite the added context provided by contributors, Community Notes have at times failed to control the spread of misinformation. The program is expected to face a tough test in India’s complex multilingual political landscape.

Last year, X reversed a previous ban on political ads on the platform. The company has faced challenges in the Indian market, notably a legal battle against the government for ordering the platform to block certain posts. Earlier this year, X withheld some accounts and posts related to farmers’ protests in India due to orders from authorities. The company reiterated that a writ appeal challenging these blocking orders was still pending in the courts.

In a conversation with BBC last year, Elon Musk acknowledged the strictness of India’s social media rules, stating that the company “can’t go beyond the laws of the country.”

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