Elon Musk Shares Manipulated Harris Video, in Seeming Violation of X's Policies

Elon Musk, the owner of the social media platform X, recently shared a manipulated video of Vice President Kamala Harris that alters her voice to make misleading statements about President Biden and her qualifications. The video, which was originally released by the Harris campaign, was edited to remove references to Donald Trump and to include misleading content, such as claims that Biden is senile. Musk reposted the video without a disclaimer, stating only, "This is amazing," which has raised concerns about compliance with X's policies against sharing deceptive media. Critics, including digital governance experts, have pointed out that Musk's actions appear to violate these policies, which prohibit synthetic or manipulated media that could mislead the public. The Harris campaign responded by emphasizing the importance of truthful representation in political discourse. The rise of deepfake technology has prompted alarm among pro-democracy groups, as such content can significantly impact voter behavior and the democratic process. The Federal Election Commission is considering amendments to clarify regulations regarding AI-generated political content, but the current law remains ambiguous. Other social media platforms, like Meta and Google, have stricter policies requiring clear labeling of manipulated media. Despite the backlash, Musk has not addressed the criticism or removed the post, which has garnered millions of views. His influence on X, with 191 million followers, allows him to amplify content rapidly, raising further concerns about the spread of misinformation in the lead-up to elections.