City of Port Moody ceases use of X due to ethical concerns over harmful content, plans shift to Bluesky

The City of Port Moody is the latest in a long list of institutions to flee the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

On Jan. 13, council unanimously voted to immediately stop using X, citing ethical concern about harmful content and declining trust in the platform’s moderation and algorithms. The motion also directed staff to find a suitable emergency notification system within the next six months.

Coun. Samantha Agtarap, who introduced the motion, said recent revelations about the X’s artificial-intelligence chatbot, Grok, were a tipping point.

“I feel this is a more important and pressing issue that we need to deal with immediately,” she said. “By maintaining an official presence on that platform, we are lending legitimacy to the platform, normalizing its use, and we risk having official content like notifications appear alongside illegal and harmful material.”

Regulators in the United Kingdom and several U.S. states have recently opened probes into allegations the AI tool has been used to generate and distribute non-consensual intimate images and sexualized content involving minors, raising questions about whether X has adequate safeguards in place to prevent the spread of illegal material.

General concerns about X’s broader content moderation and algorithms also came up in the discussion. Since Tesla-owner Elon Musk purchased Twitter in 2022 and rebranded it as X, independent researchers and digital-rights groups have reported increases in hate speech and misinformation, alongside significant cuts to content-safety staff. 

Critics argue the platform’s algorithms now prioritize engagement over reliability, making it harder to ensure public information is delivered safely and consistently.

Coun. Amy Lubik said she left the platform herself some time ago, describing it as a “fairly toxic space.” 

She also stressed that relying on social media during emergencies is inherently unreliable. “It’s important that we’re not just hoping that our residents will stumble over something,” Lubik said, pointing to the need for direct opt-in tools, such as Alertable, to reach residents quickly.

“It really feels like it is the right thing to do to get off of it, and I think more and more of our residents are as well,” Lubik said.

Mayor Meghan Lahti echoed those concerns, questioning whether X’s algorithms are even showing municipal posts to users who follow the city. 

“How many people are actually getting the messaging that we’re sending out?” she asked, agreeing that a dedicated alert system would provide certainty about who is receiving critical information.

Lahti stopped posting on X in the spring of 2024. Her last post read: “I have decided to leave this platform, as it is filled with antisemitism and hatred.”

City manager Anna Mathewson told council the city is already preparing to expand onto alternative platforms, noting Port Moody plans to launch an official presence on Bluesky later this month. 

Bluesky, a decentralized social-media network, has grown rapidly over the past two years, attracting tens of millions of users amid dissatisfaction with X’s direction and moderation practices. 

Governments, media organizations and public institutions have increasingly begun experimenting with the platform as an alternative channel for public communication.

Mathewson emphasized, however, that the city’s website remains its primary communications tool, with recent upgrades aimed at improving accessibility and functionality. 

Coun. Haven Lurbiecki said she was comfortable that other social media platforms, such as Facebook and the city’s website, will be able to fill the information gap.

“What’s going on is simply unacceptable, and I hope more institutions follow suit,” she said.

While Coquitlam is sticking with X, the municipality is looking to reduce their use of the social media site, explained the city’s communications manager Michelle Frilund.

“There is still have an audience using this platform as their source for city information,” Frilund wrote in an email to the Dispatch. “However, we have scaled back our involvement to just the most relevant and engaged-with content – news announcements and emergency information.’

The city doesn’t pay for advertising or verified status on the site, Frilund added.

“We are also building our presence on alternative platforms (e.g. Bluesky) as an alternative for our residents, partners and followers,” she wrote.

While Port Coquitlam is “mindful of the broader concerns being raised about platform safety and appropriateness,” the municipality has no plans to leave X, stated the city’s communications manager Ximena Ibacache.

“It continues to be one of several channels we use to share timely public and service-related information with a broad audience,” Ibacache explained in an email to the Dispatch.

The city is also on Bluesky.

“As usage patterns continue to evolve, we will continue to review how and where we communicate to ensure residents can access reliable city information in appropriate and trusted environments,” Ibacache wrote.

-with files from Jeremy Shepherd