Influencers are profiting from spreading misinformation on Elon Musk’s X.

In the Middle East conflict, influencers on X are making money by spreading false information, taking advantage of the platform’s controversial policies that prioritize user engagement rather than factual accuracy. Following Elon Musk’s eventful acquisition of X (previously known as Twitter) in 2022, the platform has reinstated numerous previously banned accounts and implemented a paid verification system, which critics argue has given a boost to conspiracy theorists.

X also implemented an ad revenue sharing program for verified users, who often sell hateful and false information to profit from the platform.

“Cynical proponents of the pay-for-play controversy today are deliberately creating hate by committing to a game on Musk’s platform to give them more exposure and thus more revenue for their views,” Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) said. AFP.

X has seen a tsunami of lies about the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, fueled in part by prominent US influencers such as Jackson Hinkle, who last month falsely claimed in a video that Iran was bombing American military bases in Iraq.

The incendiary message came amid widespread concern about a wider conflagration in the Middle East.

Using a reverse image search, AFP fact-checkers discovered that the video actually depicted an attack in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

In another provocative post debunked by AFP, Hinkle falsely claimed Yemen had declared “war on Israel” in support of the Palestinians.

Although Yemen’s Houthi rebels have targeted Israel with missiles and drones, neither they nor the country’s internationally recognized government have officially declared war.

– ‘Upside down’ –

In addition to raising tens of thousands of dollars on crowdfunding sites, Hinkle offers “premium content” to X subscribers for $3 a month.

“Your support will help me continue to expose the Deep State after being banned and demonetized by YouTube, Twitch, PayPal and Venmo,” his petition reads.

When reached by AFP, Hinkle – whose false posts have garnered millions of views – declined to say how much revenue he made from X, instead criticizing coverage of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Hinkle Earns at least $3,000 a month from paid subscribers, according to CCDH’s rough estimate based on engagement data from his subscriber posts.

Last August, Hinkle revealed on X that he also earned $1,693 from the ad revenue sharing scheme, while complaining that other users with less engagement made bigger profits.

British-based content creator Sulaiman Ahmed and Danish doctor Anastasia Maria Loupis — both of whom have been repeatedly fact-checked by AFP for war-related misinformation — also benefit from X’s endorsement and paid subscription programs.

Neither responded to requests for comment.

According to CCDH’s Ahmed, Musk has “created an overwhelming platform where authoritative sources struggle to be heard above the noise — while putting liars and haters on a pedestal, generating revenue for himself and the platform.”

X did not respond to AFP’s request for comment.

– “Unrealistic” –

To be eligible for ad revenue sharing, users must meet requirements such as subscribing to X’s $8 monthly fee and having at least 500 followers.

Last year, Musk said that community notes — an X feature that allows users to refute claims and provide additional context — posts “are not eligible for revenue sharing.”

“The idea is to maximize the incentive for accuracy over sensationalism,” Musk wrote to X.

But Jack Brewster, a media watchdog at NewsGuard, told AFP that “viral posts that spread misinformation often don’t get noticed in community notes”.

In October, NewsGuard analyzed the top 250 posts promoting one of 10 prominent false or unsubstantiated narratives about the war between Israel and Hamas.

It found that only 32 percent of them were recorded in the community record.

The following month, NewsGuard identified ads from 86 major companies — including top brands, governments and organizations — in official messages that made “false or grossly misleading claims about the Israel-Hamas war.”

It included an FBI ad in Hinkle’s post, falsely claiming that the video showed an Israeli military helicopter shooting at its own citizens.

The video actually showed Israeli warplanes over Gaza, NewsGuard said, adding that the post, which has been viewed nearly two million times, had no community comment.

“Community Notes in its current form is not a system that scales to cover all contexts,” Jacob Shapiro, a Princeton University professor who served on the program’s advisory board before Musk’s acquisition, told AFP.

“Expecting only volunteers to do … fraudulent content as a safeguard against people being able to monetize that content reflects unrealistic expectations of how the tool will work.”