Musk removes the “state media” label from Russian and Chinese propaganda

In August 2020, Twitter began reporting profiles used by controlled by some states and governments. This week, the Tesla boss decided that this will no longer be the case, inaugurating a new policy that risks only encouraging the spread of fake news

In August of 2020 Twitter began reporting profiles used by newspapers, radio and television stations controlled or directly funded by some states and governments, including its editors and editors. The US elections were just a few months away and the social network was trying to limit foreign influence in such a delicate moment, also mindful of the fake news trafficking and confusion of 2016. It was the beginning of a policy that led to the indication of the state origin of publications such as RT.com (a news site controlled by Moscow) or Global Times (English-language Chinese state tabloid), arriving at even more stringent measures against the Russian media after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.