EXPLAINER: How to add Community Notes on X posts

In a move to decentralize content moderation and combat misinformation, X, formerly known as Twitter, has rolled out its Community Notes feature. This initiative empowers users to collectively add context to posts, shifting the responsibility of determining truth from the platform to its community. The system is designed to highlight notes that are deemed helpful by individuals with diverse viewpoints, ensuring that visibility is not dictated by majority opinion or platform bias.

To become a contributor, users must meet specific eligibility criteria. These include maintaining an updated account, having a verified phone number linked to a trusted carrier, and possessing an account that is at least six months old with no recent violations of X's rules. These measures are in place to mitigate spam and ensure that contributors are genuine users, rather than bots or malicious actors.

Even users who are not contributors can request a Community Note on a post. This is done through a simple process via the post's three-dot menu. However, requesters also need a verified phone number, and there are limits on the number of requests that can be made daily. These requests become visible to contributors when certain conditions are met, such as a minimum number of requests on a post and a history of helpful submissions from the requester.

The gradual system, where new contributors begin by rating notes before gaining the ability to write them, ensures a level of quality control. This approach aims to foster a more informed online environment by leveraging the collective intelligence of the user base, a stark contrast to top-down moderation strategies often employed by other platforms.