Elon Musk’s micro-blogging platform X has announced the launch of its highly anticipated ‘Community Notes’ program in India. This initiative aims to empower users to actively engage in fact-checking tweets shared on the platform, fostering a more informed digital environment.
Unveiled via X’s affiliate handle on Thursday, the Community Notes program invites new contributors from India. X states that this program is designed to counter misinformation by enlisting individuals from diverse backgrounds as note authors. Rather than endorsing specific viewpoints, the platform relies on collective input from contributors to assess the credibility of content.
Here’s how you can contribute to Community Notes:
Meeting Criteria: To become a contributor, accounts must meet specific criteria outlined by X. This includes having no recent violations of X’s Rules, being a member of X for at least six months, and possessing a verified phone number from a trusted carrier not associated with other Community Notes accounts.
Adding Notes: Contributors can add notes by accessing the ••• menu on a post’s top right and selecting “Write a Community Note.” After answering required multiple-choice questions and providing contextual information, the note will be available on the Community Notes site for other contributors to read and rate.
Rating System: Notes claiming a post is potentially misleading will be eligible to show on the post if rated as helpful by enough people. Conversely, notes stating a post is not misleading will be displayed as additional information but will not appear on the post if they earn a status of Helpful.
Impact and Deletion: If a note earns the status of Helpful, it will be displayed on X as context, and the contributor will earn Writing Impact. Contributors have the option to delete their notes at any time.
Limitations: X imposes restrictions on the number of note proposals contributors can submit within 24 hours to maintain note quality and prevent spam.
Through the Community Notes program, X endeavours to promote fact-checking and combat misinformation, fostering a more reliable and trustworthy digital ecosystem for users in India and beyond.