Highlights
1. The European Union (EU) has launched an investigation into X/Twitter over potential illegal content and disinformation about the Israel-Hamas war on the platform. The investigation is focused on the company’s compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA) and its measures to curb disinformation.
2. Commissioner Thierry Breton has sent an urgent letter to X owner Elon Musk, stating that the EU has indications that the platform is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation about the war. He urged Musk to take effective measures to prevent this.
3. X has provided the necessary information to the EU, but the European lawmakers are not satisfied with the company’s measures, leading to a formal investigation.
4. The new DSA can hold online social platforms liable for illegal content, and depending on the severity, fines can be imposed up to six percent of a company’s global revenue. Breton has also sent similar letters to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew regarding measures to curb disinformation about the war.
EU Launches Investigation into X/Twitter Over Illegal Content and Disinformation about Israel-Hamas War
The European Union (EU) has formally initiated an investigation into X, the owner of Twitter, regarding potential illegal content and disinformation related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war on the platform. Commissioner Thierry Breton had previously warned about the dissemination of such content and requested X to take action.
Breton sent an urgent letter to X owner Elon Musk, highlighting the EU’s concerns about illegal content and disinformation about the war circulating on the platform. He called on Musk to address the issue promptly and implement effective measures to prevent its spread.
X provided the EU with the necessary information in response to Breton’s letter. However, the European lawmakers were not satisfied with the measures taken by the social network giant, leading to the formal investigation.
The EU investigation will focus on X’s policies and practices regarding illegal content, complaint handling, risk assessment, and measures to mitigate the identified risks. The company has been asked to provide information about its crisis response protocol by October 18, and it has until October 31 to submit further necessary details.
This investigation marks the first instance of the EU scrutinizing X under the new Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes obligations on Very Large Online Platforms. Other tech giants like Meta (formerly Facebook), Google, and Amazon also fall under this category.
In addition to X, Commissioner Breton has also sent urgent letters to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, requesting information about their measures to combat disinformation about the war. It remains to be seen if investigations will be opened into these platforms as well. The DSA grants the EU the authority to hold online social platforms liable for illegal content and impose fines of up to six percent of their global revenue.
