Julia Christine Botin

Musk vows to 'fix' X feature over Ukraine and Zelensky

Article (news)

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17401400579741740140105573.jpeg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Elon Musk holds a chainsaw reading &quot;Long live freedom, damn it&quot; during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort &amp; Convention Center at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on February 20, 2025. Saul Loeb, Agence France-Presse"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Elon Musk holds a chainsaw reading &quot;Long live freedom, damn it&quot; during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort &amp; Convention Center at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on February 20, 2025. <em>Saul Loeb, Agence France-Presse</em></span></span></span></div><p>WASHINGTON - Elon Musk said Thursday that a feature on his social media platform X which allows users to fact-check potentially misleading posts was being &quot;gamed&quot; over Ukraine&#x27;s President Volodymr Zelensky and vowed to &quot;fix&quot; it.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/2/19/trump-bashes-zelensky-confident-on-ukraine-deal-1130">Trump bashes Zelensky, &#x27;confident&#x27; on Ukraine deal</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/2/20/trump-turns-against-zelensky-and-towards-russia-1936">Trump turns against Zelensky—and towards Russia</a></div><p>Musk spoke after his ally US President Donald Trump turned on his one-time ally Zelensky in recent days, accusing the Ukrainian leader of being a &quot;dictator&quot; and having started Ukraine&#x27;s war with Russia -- narratives long pushed by Moscow.</p><div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABUXO-rcwUE_K2F4"></script></div><p>The about-face has seen social media users -- including stunned European officials and journalists -- take to X in particular to defend Ukraine and Zelensky.</p><p>Many have used the &quot;Community Notes&quot; feature, which allows users to attach content to posts that could contain misinformation to debunk them.</p><p>&quot;Unfortunately, @CommunityNotes is increasingly being gamed by governments &amp; legacy media. Working to fix this,&quot; Musk wrote on X Thursday.</p><p>&quot;It should be utterly obvious that a Zelensky-controlled poll about his OWN approval is not credible!!&quot; he continued, adding: &quot;In reality, he is despised by the people of Ukraine, which is why he has refused to hold an election.&quot;</p><p>Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.</p><p>Zelensky&#x27;s five-year term expired last year, but Ukrainian law does not require elections during wartime.</p><p>According to a survey carried out this month by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Zelensky has a 57 percent approval rating and is &quot;maintaining his legitimacy.&quot;</p><p>Disinformation has long been rife on social media, which remains a leading source of news in the United States, where traditional journalism outlets such as newspapers are shuttering at a rapid rate.</p><p>Musk rolled out Community Notes after he purchased the social media platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022 and overhauled many of its safety and moderation features.</p><p>Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said last month that it would start to imitate Community Notes rather than using professional factcheckers.</p><p>A handful of moderate Republicans have also blasted Trump&#x27;s shift over Ukraine.</p><p>&quot;Putin started this war. Putin committed war crimes. Putin is the dictator who murdered his opponents. The EU nations have contributed more to Ukraine. Zelensky polls over 50%. Ukraine wants to be part of the West, Putin hates the West,&quot; congressman Don Bacon, from Nebraska, wrote on X Wednesday.</p><p>&quot;I don&#x27;t accept George Orwell&#x27;s doublethink,&quot; he added, referring to the author of the dystopian novel &quot;1984.&quot;</p><p>bur-st/jgc</p><p>© Agence France-Presse</p><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABUdJHOyyQT8Il3-"></script>

<p>Elon Musk said Thursday that a feature on his social media platform X which allows users to fact-check potentially misleading posts was being "gamed" over Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelensky and vowed to "fix" it.</p>

Elon Musk said Thursday that a feature on his social media platform X which allows users to fact-check potentially misleading posts was being "gamed" over Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelensky and vowed to "fix" it.