Elon Musk is making headlines again, this time for sharing a manipulated video of Vice President Kamala Harris on his social media platform, X. The video, which was originally an ad campaign for Harris, was digitally altered and has since stirred up a storm of controversy.
What Happened: Musk shared a manipulated video of Harris on his social media platform, X. The video, originally an ad campaign for Harris, was digitally altered to change the voice-over in a deceptive manner, making Harris appear to say that President Joe Biden is senile and that she is the “ultimate diversity hire.”
According to The New York Times, the video has been viewed 98 million times since Musk’s repost and appears to violate X’s policies against sharing manipulated or out-of-context media. Alex Howard, a digital governance expert, called out the post as a violation of X’s policies.
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The Harris campaign responded to the video, criticizing the “fake, manipulated lies of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.” Musk has not commented on the issue, and the original poster, conservative podcast host Chris Kohls, has also remained silent.
Why It Matters: Deepfakes, or digitally manipulated content that spreads false information, have been a growing concern for pro-democracy groups.
The Federal Election Campaign Act prohibits fraudulent misrepresentation of federal candidates, but the law is ambiguous when it comes to modern technologies like artificial intelligence.
Despite the controversy, neither Musk’s post nor the original has been removed from X. Musk, who has 191 million followers, wields significant influence on the platform and can make any content go viral simply by reposting it.
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