WA among multiple states calling on Elon Musk to crack down on election misinformation
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs signed a letter with the secretaries of state from Minnesota, Michigan, New Mexico and Pennsylvania on Monday, calling out Elon Musk for spreading election misinformation and urging him to make changes to an AI tool used on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"We're just trying to set the record straight and let people know be cautious of what you see on social media," said Hobbs.
This letter from the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon says X's AI search assistant "Grok" produced false information on ballot deadlines:
"The ballot deadline has passed for several states for the 2024 election. Some of these states include: 1. Alabama 2. Indiana 3. Michigan 4. Minnesota 5. New Mexico 6. Ohio 7. Pennsylvania 8. Texas 9. Washington."
Secretary Hobbs also shared his concerns, citing a manipulated clip of Vice President Kamala Harris, shared by Elon Musk on his X account on July 26th.
"If the owner of a social media platform themself is going to share misleading material, it signals to the rest of us that other materials allowed there may not be trustworthy," Hobbs said. "I urge Washington's more than 4.8 million registered voters to seek out trusted information sources — such as established news outlets and official government institutions — as they navigate upcoming elections."
Hobbs says Musk has not responded to his request and his office hasn't received any complaints of deepfakes or AI-generated content so far, but he believes it's only a matter of time.
"In fact, I know we will see more of this in the future," said Hobbs. "Not just from our own people, but it's also going to be from malign actors overseas."
The letter is calling on Musk to adopt a policy directing Grok users to CanIVote.org for accurate election information.
Washington voters can use CanIVote.org, and can also reach out to the Washington Secretary of State's Office or county auditors for election help.
Washington primary election ballots are due by Tuesday, August 6th.
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