**X Releases First Transparency Report Following Elon Musk Acquisition**

X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has unveiled its first transparency report since being acquired by Elon Musk in 2022. This report, covering the first half of 2024, reveals significant modifications in both content policies and metrics for content moderation, compared to the last report from 2021 when the company was still operating as Twitter.

In an era where transparency is crucial, X's recent report details that the company received nearly 67 million reports of hateful conduct and took action on over 2,000 accounts. The report, which spans 15 pages, is considerably shorter than Twitter's last transparency report from the second half of 2021, which was 50 pages long. Notably, government requests for information remain updated separately on X's website, reflecting the company's efforts to comply with various legal requirements.

Comparing data from the 2021 Twitter report to the newly released X report is challenging due to changes in measurement methods and policy alterations. For instance, while 11.6 million accounts were reported in 2021, resulting in 4.3 million actions and 1.3 million suspensions, X's latest report states that there were over 224 million reports, leading to 5.2 million account suspensions. These discrepancies may be attributed to recent changes in X's policies, particularly those related to hate speech and COVID-19 misinformation.

Under Musk's leadership, the company has undergone substantial restructuring, including firing most of its trust and safety staff, which could have influenced the numbers in the transparency report. The reduction in staff might have impacted the capacity for manual content review, potentially understating the true extent of harmful content. Also, X's API access changes have made it more challenging for researchers and nonprofits to analyze platform data comprehensively.

Country-wise, Turkey topped the list for content removal requests in the first half of 2024, with nearly 10,000 requests, of which X complied with 60%. Remarkably, Brazil, despite previously being suspended from the platform due to misinformation about elections, did not rank in the top five for content removal requests.

X spokesperson Michael Abboud emphasized the importance of transparency for the company, stating, "As an entirely new company, we took time to rethink how best to transparently share data related to the enforcement of the policies that keep our community safe.” However, it was clarified that this transparency initiative is independent of the European Union's Digital Services Act and stems from a desire to be "extremely transparent."

Overall, X's initial transparency report under Musk's guidance highlights a new approach to data sharing and policy enforcement on the platform, albeit leaving some questions about the effectiveness and consistency of its content moderation practices.