Elon Musk’s X has encouraged and profited from the spread of hateful posts in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, according to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit research group.
In its new report this week, the CCDH, which studies the growth and spread of hateful content online, reviewed the engagement of 10 prominent X accounts after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7. According to the report, the accounts grew four times faster after the raid than before.
The report focused on the accounts of Jackson Hinkle, Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis, Censored Men, Jake Shields, Dr. Eli David, Radio Genoa, Ryan Dawson, Keith Woods, Way of the World and Sam Parker.
All accounts were popular before the war in Gaza but have since skyrocketed in popularity. Mr. Hinkle, who ran a mostly pro-Russian account that disseminated anti-Ukraine posts since the start of the war in that region, has gained more than 2 million followers since Oct. 7, mostly from posting anti-Israel content. Mr. Hinkle also posted a meme showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drinking the blood of Palestinians, a common antisemitic trope.
Mr. Shields, a mixed martial artist, saw his followers jump by 209,000 since Oct. 7. Since the attack, he has cast doubt on the Holocaust and said that the “five pillars of Judaism” are “1. Lying 2. Lying 3. rape 4. Lying 5. Lying.”
On the other side, Mr. David, a supporter of Israel, has gained more than 160,000 followers since Oct. 7. The report cites several examples of hateful posts by Mr. David, including an artificial intelligence-generated image that depicts Palestinians in Gaza as rats.
Those who sought to debunk claims made in posts by the reviewed accounts inadvertently promoted them. According to the report, users who reposted hateful content critically boosted its reach by 28%.
The report also says X is likely profiting from the popularity of users like Mr. Hinkle and Mr. David, with posts from the 10 reviewed accounts appearing next to ads for popular brands like Oreo and the NBA.
All of the accounts reviewed are X Premium users, which means they have access to the site’s full suite of promotional tools. Paid X users take part in the site’s ad revenue-sharing program, meaning they’re financially incentivized to post viral content.
The CCDH blames Mr. Musk for the increase in hateful rhetoric on X and says lawmakers should demand more transparency from the company.
The group has published several reports on the dissemination of hate speech on X since Mr. Musk took over the company in late 2022. It published a scathing report on X in late 2023, showing neo-Nazi content appearing next to advertisements for popular brands, which led to a significant advertiser exodus.
In the past, Mr. Musk and X have denied that hate speech has gone up under his direction. X also sued CCDH for its previous studies.
X did not immediately respond to a request by The Washington Times for comment on this week’s report.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.