Layoffs at Twitter raise fears of misinformation just before US midterm elections

Though Twitter's new owner and CEO Elon Musk has pledged that the social media platform will not become a "free-for-all hellscape," mass layoffs at the company have sparked fears of misinformation just when US midterm elections are around the corner. Twitter is reported to havefired half of its 7500-strong workforce. This has added to concerns about spike in fake content already expected across social media as midterm elections approach.

The layoffs have followed USD 44 million buyout of the social media platform by billionaire Elon Musk. The firings have hit multipole divisions of the company, including trust and safety teams which looks after content moderation.

"I would be real careful on this platform in the coming days... about what you retweet, who you follow, and even your own sense of what's going on," said Kate Starbird, a disinformation researcher and assistant professor at the University of Washington.

Starbird warned in her own Twitter post of an increased risk of "impersonation" attempts, "coordinated disinformation by manipulators" and "hoaxes that attempt to get you to spread falsehoods."

Twitter was recently acquired by billionaire Elon Musk after a long-drawn process in which the latter had withdrawn his initial offer only to be taken to court by the social media platform to compel him to buy the company.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE