Now that X has confirmed plans to allow political ads, it is taking extra cautionary steps. The company will vet interested groups before their ads are allowed, and an advertising transparency center will also go live so that users can review political ads being promoted on their feeds. It appears that X is also tapping its community to help call out misinformation. The company points toward its Community Notes feature as a way to make that possible; it allows users to fact-check and label a post regarding its truthfulness.
Furthermore, X will label political ads if they violate its Civic Integrity Policy and will duly inform the group behind them when such ads have their reach restricted. The company once known as Twitter says it wants to reach a balance in which it neither censors political debate nor dissuades people from engaging in their civic responsibilities. To ensure that those goals are achieved, the company says it is strengthening its team overseeing elections and safety so that it can spot threats like manipulation and inauthentic accounts.
Under the ownership of Musk, X is desperately trying to boost engagement, and political content seems like a solid bet. Just a few days ago, Donald Trump — who was permanently banned in 2021 – made his return to X with a widely meme-ified mugshot. Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s interview with Trump garnered over 260 million views on X.
