How X users can earn thousands from US election misinformation and AI images

Some users connected X who walk their days sharing contented that includes predetermination misinformation, AI-generated images and unfounded conspiracy theories accidental they are being paid "thousands of dollars" by the societal media site.

The BBC identified networks of dozens of accounts that re-share each other's contented aggregate times a time - including a premix of true, unfounded, mendacious and faked worldly - to boost their reach, and therefore, gross connected the site.

Several accidental net from their ain and different accounts scope from a mates of 100 to thousands of dollars.

They besides accidental they coordinate sharing each other’s posts connected forums and radical chats. "It's a mode of trying to assistance each different out," 1 idiosyncratic said.

Some of these networks enactment Donald Trump, others Kamala Harris, and immoderate are independent. Several of these profiles - which accidental they are not connected to authoritative campaigns - person been contacted by US politicians, including legislature candidates, looking for supportive posts.

On 9 October, X changed its rules truthful the payments made to eligible accounts with a important scope are calculated according to the magnitude of engagement from premium users - likes, shares and comments - alternatively than the fig of ads nether their posts.

Many societal media sites let users to marque wealth from their posts oregon to stock sponsored content. But they often person rules which let them to de-monetise oregon suspend profiles that station misinformation. X does not person guidelines connected misinformation successful the aforesaid way.

While X has a smaller idiosyncratic basal than immoderate sites, it has a important interaction connected governmental discourse. It raises questions astir whether X is incentivising users to station provocative claims, whether they’re existent oregon not, astatine a highly delicate infinitesimal for US politics.

The BBC compared the approximate net reported by immoderate of these X users with the magnitude they would beryllium expected to earn, based connected their fig of views, followers and interactions with different profiles, and recovered them to beryllium credible.

Among the misleading posts shared by immoderate of these networks of profiles were claims astir predetermination fraud which had been rebutted by authorities, and extreme, unfounded allegations of paedophilia and intersexual maltreatment against the statesmanlike and vice-presidential candidates.

Some misleading and mendacious posts that originated connected X person besides spilled connected to different societal media sites with a bigger audience, specified arsenic Facebook and TikTok.

In 1 example, an X idiosyncratic with a tiny pursuing says helium created a doctored representation purporting to amusement Kamala Harris moving astatine McDonald's arsenic a young woman. Other users past pushed evidence-free claims that the Democratic Party was manipulating images of its candidate.

Unfounded conspiracy theories from X astir the July assassination effort connected Donald Trump were besides picked up connected different societal media sites.

X did not respond to questions astir whether the tract is incentivising users to station similar this, nor to requests to interrogation proprietor Elon Musk.

Freedom Uncut’s contented instauration lair - wherever helium streams and makes videos - is decorated with fairy lights successful the signifier of an American flag. He says helium is an independent, but would alternatively Donald Trump becomes president than Kamala Harris.

Free - arsenic his friends telephone him - says helium tin walk up to 16 hours a time successful his lair posting connected X, interacting with the web of dozens of contented creators he’s a portion of, and sharing AI-generated pictures. He does not stock his afloat sanction oregon existent individuality due to the fact that helium says his family's idiosyncratic accusation has been exposed online, starring to threats.

He is by nary means 1 of the astir utmost posters, and has agreed to conscionable maine and explicate however these networks connected X operate.

He says helium has had 11 cardinal views implicit the past fewer months since helium began posting regularly astir the US election. He brings respective up connected the surface arsenic we chat astatine his location successful Tampa, Florida.

Some are evidently satire - Donald Trump looking similar a quality successful The Matrix arsenic helium brushes speech bullets, oregon President Joe Biden arsenic a dictator. Other AI images are little fantastical - including an representation of idiosyncratic connected the extortion of their flooded location arsenic combatant jets walk by, with the comment: "Remember that politicians don't attraction astir you connected November 5th."

The representation echoes Mr Trump's assertion that determination were "no helicopters, nary rescue" for radical successful North Carolina pursuing Hurricane Helene. The assertion has been rebutted by the North Carolina National Guard, which says it rescued hundreds of radical successful 146 formation missions.

Freedom Uncut says helium sees his images arsenic “art” that sparks a conversation. He says helium is “not trying to fool anybody” but that helium tin “do truthful overmuch much by utilizing AI”.

Since his illustration was monetised, helium says helium tin marque successful the "low thousands" monthly from X: “I deliberation it's go a batch easier for radical to marque money.”

He adds that immoderate users helium knows person been making much than 5 figures and claims helium could corroborate this by seeing the scope of their posts: "It's astatine that constituent it truly does go a job."

He says it is the “controversial” worldly that tends to get the astir views - and compares this to “sensationalist” accepted media.

While helium posts “provocative stuff”, helium says it is “usually based successful immoderate mentation of reality”. But helium suggests that different profiles helium sees are blessed to stock posts they cognize not to beryllium true. This, helium says, is an casual “money-maker”.

Freedom Uncut dismisses concerns astir mendacious claims influencing the election, claiming the authorities “spreads much misinformation than the remainder of the net combined”.

He besides says it is “very common” for section politicians to scope retired to accounts similar his connected X for support. He says immoderate of them person chatted to him astir appearing connected his unrecorded streams and spoken to him astir creating and sharing memes, AI images and artwork for them.

Could immoderate of these posts - misleading oregon not - person a tangible interaction this election?

“I deliberation that you're seeing that currently. I deliberation that a batch of the Trump enactment comes from that,” helium says.

In Freedom Uncut’s view, determination is “more spot successful autarkic media” - including accounts sharing AI-generated images and misinformation - than successful “some accepted media companies”.

Going head-to-head with the pro-Trump accounts Freedom Uncut describes are profiles specified arsenic Brown Eyed Susan, who has much than 200,000 followers connected X.

She is portion of a web of “die-hard” accounts posting contented aggregate times each hr successful enactment of Democratic campaigner Kamala Harris. While she uses her archetypal name, she does not stock her surname due to the fact that of threats and maltreatment she has received online.

Speaking to maine from Los Angeles, Susan says she ne'er intended to commencement making wealth from her posts - oregon for her account’s scope to “explode”. Sometimes she posts and re-shares much than 100 messages a time - and her idiosyncratic posts sometimes scope much than 2 cardinal users each.

She says she lone makes wealth from her posts due to the fact that she was awarded a bluish tick, which marks paid users connected the tract and immoderate salient accounts. “I didn't inquire for it. I can't fell it, and I can't instrumentality it. So I clicked connected monetise,” she tells me, estimating she tin marque a mates of 100 dollars a month.

Aside from posting astir policy, immoderate of her astir viral posts - racking up much than 3 cardinal views - person promoted unfounded and mendacious conspiracy theories suggesting the July assassination effort was staged by Donald Trump.

She acknowledges that a subordinate of the assemblage and the shooter were killed, but says she has genuine questions astir Donald Trump’s injury, the information failings, and whether the incidental has been decently investigated.

“There's nary mode to get to the information successful this. And if they privation to telephone it conspiratorial, they can,” she says.

Susan besides shares memes, immoderate of which usage AI, taking purpose astatine the Republican contender. Several much convincing examples marque him look older oregon unwell. She says these “illustrate his existent condition”.

Others amusement him looking similar a dictator. She maintains that each her images are "obvious" fakes.

Like Freedom Uncut, she says politicians, including legislature candidates, person contacted her for support, and she says she tries to “spread arsenic overmuch awareness” arsenic she tin for them.

Following a enactment implicit whether Kamala Harris erstwhile worked astatine McDonald's, a doctored representation of her successful the accelerated nutrient chain's azygous was shared connected Facebook by her supporters and went viral.

When immoderate pro-Trump accounts realised it was an edited photograph of a antithetic pistillate successful the uniform, it triggered unfounded accusations that the representation came from the Democratic Party itself.

An relationship called “The Infinite Dude” connected X appeared to beryllium the archetypal to stock the representation with the caption: “This is fake”. The idiosyncratic down the representation tells maine his sanction is Blake and that helium shared it arsenic portion of an experiment. His illustration does not person astir arsenic galore followers arsenic the different accounts I person been talking to.

When I inquire for grounds that helium doctored the image, helium told maine helium has “the archetypal files and instauration timestamps”, but helium did not stock those with maine arsenic helium says impervious does not truly matter.

“People stock contented not due to the fact that it's real, but due to the fact that they privation it to beryllium real. Both sides bash it arsenic - they conscionable take antithetic stories to believe,” helium says.

His governmental allegiance remains unclear and helium says this “isn’t astir politics”.

X says online that its precedence is to support and support the user's voice. The tract adds manipulated media labels to immoderate AI-generated and doctored video, audio and images. It besides has a diagnostic called Community Notes, which crowdsources fact-checking from users.

During the UK election, X did instrumentality enactment implicit a web of accounts sharing faked clips that I investigated. In the US predetermination campaign, however, I person received nary effect to my questions oregon requests to interrogation Elon Musk.

That matters - due to the fact that societal media companies similar his could impact what unfolds arsenic voters caput to the polls.

Marianna Spring investigated this communicative utilizing her Undercover Voters - 5 fictional characters based connected information from the Pew Research Centre - that let her to interrogate what immoderate antithetic users are recommended connected societal media. Their societal media accounts are backstage and bash not connection existent people.

Find retired much astir them here - and connected the BBC Americast podcast connected BBC Sounds.