Hate Speech on X increased by 50% after Elon Musk takeover, study finds
New Delhi: A new study published in PLOS ONE has found that hate speech on X (formerly Twitter) surged by 50% for at least eight months following Elon Musk’s acquisition of the platform in October 2022. The research, led by Daniel Hickney from the University of California, Berkeley, highlights a significant rise in racist, homophobic, and transphobic slurs during this period.
The study analyzed 4.7 million English-language posts from early 2022 to June 9, 2023, covering both the ten months before and eight months after Musk’s takeover. The findings revealed that the average number of hate speech posts increased from 2,179 per week to 3,246. Transphobic slurs showed the highest growth, with weekly occurrences rising from 115 to 418 posts.
Engagement with such posts also grew, with the rate of user likes on hate speech content increasing by 70%. Researchers suggest this rise could be due to reduced content moderation, increased activity by hateful users, or changes in the platform’s algorithm that inadvertently promoted such content.
Musk’s policy changes following his $44 billion acquisition, including firing much of X’s content moderation team and disbanding the platform’s Trust and Safety Council, are believed to have contributed to the surge. The study also noted a potential increase in bot activity, particularly through a rise in cryptocurrency-related posts.
While the research focused only on English-language posts, representing just 31% of X’s total content, it presents a concerning picture of the platform’s handling of hate speech. Despite Musk’s earlier promises to tackle such issues, the study suggests that these problems have only intensified under his leadership.
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Three company directors held in Rs 100-crore investment fraud in Kochi
Kochi (Kerala) (PTI): Police on Sunday arrested three directors of a firm accused of cheating hundreds of investors of over Rs 100 crore through a fake investment scheme linked to agricultural tourism here, officials said.
The accused were identified as Muraleedharan, Ashik Murali and Akhil Murali, all natives of Thrissur.
The arrests were made by the Kalamassery police in connection with a fraud involving ATCOS (Agri Tourism Cooperative Society), a firm headquartered at Pathadipalam here.
Police said the company had promised high returns by collecting investments from the public in the agricultural tourism sector, but allegedly cheated hundreds of people and fled with the money.
ATCOS was registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act and operated 13 branches across various districts in Kerala, besides a branch in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, officials said.
When investors failed to receive their promised returns or the invested amount, complaints were filed with the police.
Officials said around 54 cases have been registered against the firm in 32 police stations across the state, including 29 cases at the Kalamassery police station alone.
Following instructions from Kochi City Police Commissioner K S Mahesh Kumar, a special investigation team was formed under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Shehensha and Thrikkakara ACP Manoj Kumar.
The team traced the accused to an apartment in Amala Nagar in Thrissur, where they had been hiding after secretly renting the flat, officials said.
The bank accounts of the accused have been frozen, and steps have been initiated to trace their assets, officials said.
Police also conducted a raid at the company’s office at Pathadipalam and seized several documents related to the case.
The accused were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kalamassery, which remanded them to judicial custody and sent them to Kakkanad jail.
Police said they would seek the custody of the accused for further interrogation as the investigation continues.
