Elon Musk’s Retweet of Altered Kamala Harris Campaign Ad Raises Concerns Over Platform Policies

On Friday, Elon Musk, the proprietor of X (formerly Twitter), caused a stir by retweeting a doctored video of Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign advertisement without marking it as misleading. This action potentially contravenes the platform's regulations concerning manipulated content.

Altered Content and Its Implications

The video in question repurposes segments from an authentic Harris campaign ad, which originally showcases her speaking to supporters and features a soundtrack of Beyoncé’s song "Freedom." In the altered version, however, the soundtrack is omitted, and a voiceover that mimics Harris’s tone delivers provocative statements. This fabricated voice begins with the claim, “I, Kamala Harris, am your Democrat candidate for president because Joe Biden finally exposed his senility at the debate.” The video proceeds with derogatory remarks about Harris, labeling her as “the ultimate diversity hire” and criticizing her for attempting to “sound Black” and emulate former President Barack Obama.

The altered video diverges significantly from the original campaign message, which begins with Harris posing a question to viewers: “In this election, we each face a question: What kind of country do we want to live in?” This is followed by Beyoncé’s anthem "Freedom," underscoring a message of unity and empowerment. In stark contrast, the manipulated content employs inflammatory and misleading rhetoric aimed at undermining Harris’s race, gender, and political position, while amplifying Republican critiques that categorize her as the “DEI candidate”—a term linked to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Platform Policies and Enforcement

X’s policy on misleading media states, “You may not share synthetic, manipulated, or out-of-context media that may deceive or confuse people and lead to harm (‘misleading media’).” The policy further mandates the labeling of posts containing such media to ensure clarity about their authenticity and to provide necessary context. The absence of such a label on Musk’s retweet raises serious questions regarding adherence to these guidelines and the enforcement of platform policies.

Alexios Mantzarlis, director of the Security, Trust, and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech, indicated to NBC News that the altered video might qualify as a deepfake—a type of content created with artificial intelligence that aims to mislead. Deepfakes have increasingly been used in recent global elections for deceptive purposes. Mantzarlis anticipates a surge in such content in U.S. politics as the November election approaches.

Political Reactions and Controversies

The retweet elicited strong reactions from various quarters. Kamala Harris’s campaign spokesperson, Mia Ehrenberg, condemned Musk and former President Donald Trump, asserting, “We believe the American people want the real freedom, opportunity, and security Vice President Harris is offering; not the fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.” The original video, posted by the YouTube channel “Mr Reagan,” was labeled as a parody, yet the authenticity and intent behind the content remain contentious.

Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., expressed her concerns by accusing Musk of violating X’s policies. She remarked on X, “If @elonmusk and X let this go and don’t label it as altered AI content, they will not only be violating X’s own rules, they’ll be unleashing an entire election season of fake AI voice and image-altered content with no limits, regardless of party.” Klobuchar’s comments underscore growing apprehension about the unchecked spread of manipulated media and its potential impact on public opinion during the election season.

Public and Media Response

As of Sunday afternoon, Musk’s retweet had amassed approximately 119.9 million views, with an additional 166,000 views on Mr. Reagan’s YouTube channel. The extensive reach of the altered video highlights the critical need for vigilant monitoring and management of misleading content on social media platforms.

The situation is further complicated by recent political events, including an attempted assassination of Trump earlier this month. Musk’s endorsement of Trump’s campaign and the retweet of controversial content, coupled with his political affiliations, add layers of complexity to the discourse on social media’s role in political elections.

Conclusion

Elon Musk’s retweet of a manipulated Kamala Harris campaign ad without appropriate labeling has ignited significant concerns about compliance with X’s content policies and the broader implications for electoral integrity. As the 2024 election approaches, the scrutiny of social media practices and the effective management of misleading content will be pivotal in safeguarding a transparent and equitable democratic process.