Everything to know about Community Notes by X

Regular users of X (formerly Twitter) already know that not every piece of information found on the smartphone app or website is authentic. And, with Elon Musk changing verification rules for users, it gets even more challenging to tell which account has genuine news to post.

To tackle this problem, Twitter last year introduced Community Notes for users. In fact, if you’ve ever come across a confusing thread but see a text box confirming its context, you may have stumbled upon a Community Note.

ALSO READ: From Twitter to X: Everything Elon Musk changed on the platform

While the feature seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, several handles have now begun posting funny instances of Community Notes ‘owning’ the original poster of the thread. But if you’re wondering if you’re eligible to add or rate one, you might want to read below to know more about it.

What do Community Notes do?

To sign up for Community Notes, you need to register yourself on this link here. However, it requires more than just a click. X has a list of requirements that your account must meet before they can have you on board. These include: 

– No X Rules violations since January 2023

– You need to have joined at least six months ago

– Your phone number should have a trusted carrier

– You cannot be a part of other Community Notes accounts

The program, which is currently running its pilot version for Indian users, also requires users to attest to three more values.

– Contribute to build understanding 

– Act in good faith 

– Be helpful, even to those who disagree 

Once through, you will be ‘put on the list’ and will be asked to choose your preferred languages. Post this, a notification will be sent to your account, and you will be informed once a decision has been made. 

Is joining Community Notes a good idea?

While the idea behind this feature was to stop the spread of rampant miscommunication on the platform, there have been instances of the feature not being able to stop and ‘failing’ at its primary motive. The company has announced several overhauls for Community Notes, and a recent Bloomberg report highlighted how the feature has not been able to stop misinformation surrounding Israel and Gaza. The report also mentions how the notes take ‘more than seven hours’ to show up on the website. 

There have also been instances of disappearing Community Notes around the same issue, causing users around the world to question their said purpose. Although there are multiple drawbacks surrounding the feature currently, Musk has still reportedly announced a Community Notes feature for videos. But if you, like a lot of people, can’t see them appearing beneath questionable tweets/posts, you might just have to wait for it to show up in your region a little longer than you thought.