The EU is probing X's response to Israel-Hamas misinformation

The European Union (EU) has opened an investigation into X (previously Twitter) for lackluster moderation of unlawful content material and disinformation within the wake of the Israel-Hamas struggle. The transfer, by way of Monetary Occasions, comes two days after EU Commissioner Thierry Breton despatched an “pressing” letter to X proprietor Elon Musk asking the billionaire in regards to the firm’s dealing with of misinformation. The formal probe is the primary below the newly minted Digital Companies Act (DSA), which requires platforms working in Europe to police dangerous content material — and may levy fines vital sufficient to offer it enamel.

EU officers despatched a collection of inquiries to X that the corporate has till October 18 to reply. The fee says it can decide its subsequent steps “based mostly on the evaluation of X replies.” The DSA, which handed into regulation in 2022, requires social corporations to proactively average and take away unlawful content material. Failing to take action might result in periodic fines or penalties that, in X’s case, might complete as much as “5 % of the corporate’s every day world turnover,” in response to FT.

Researchers and fact-checkers have cautioned about extensively distributed misinformation on X following the Hamas assaults on Israel. Tuesday’s letter warned Musk about dangerous content material on X, signaling that Breton was ready to make use of the DSA’s full muscle to implement compliance. “Following the terrorist assaults carried out by Hamas in opposition to Israel, we now have indications that your platform is getting used to disseminate unlawful content material and disinformation within the EU,” Breton wrote. “Let me remind you that the Digital Companies Act units very exact obligations concerning content material moderation.”

Musk’s response appeared to include no less than a whiff of snark. “Our coverage is that every part is open supply and clear, an method that I do know the EU helps,” the X proprietor and Tesla CEO wrote. “Please checklist the violations you allude to on X, in order that that [sic] the general public can see them. Merci beaucoup.” Breton retorted, “You’re nicely conscious of your customers’ — and authorities’ — studies on faux content material and glorification of violence. As much as you to display that you simply stroll the speak.”

Yaccarino’s response claimed the corporate redistributed its sources and shuffled inside groups to handle moderation points surrounding the Center East battle. She mentioned X has eliminated or labeled “tens of hundreds of items of content material” for the reason that assaults commenced.

The CEO added that X deleted a whole lot of Hamas-aligned accounts from the platform whereas stating that the corporate works with counter-terrorism organizations. Yaccarino mentioned X’s Group Notes, a crowdsourced moderation function, is now supported on Android and the net (with iOS “coming quickly”). She additionally claimed the corporate has “considerably scaled” a function that sends notifications to individuals who favored, replied to or reposted one thing that later acquired a Group Observe fact-check.

The EU’s newly opened probe additionally questions how X is ready to react throughout a disaster and what procedures it has to deal with related misinformation. The corporate allegedly has till the tip of October to answer that line of questioning.

Breton isn’t focusing solely on X. The commissioner additionally despatched letters to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok proprietor ByteDance this week, reminding them of their obligations to the DSA within the wake of the Center East bloodshed.

This text initially appeared on Engadget at

Supply: Engadget