Hamas Attack: EU Alert Elon Musk That ‘Disinformation’ Is Spreading On X

Following Hamas’ attack on Israel, the EU has informed Elon Musk that X is being used to disseminate “disinformation.”

The bloc’s industry head claimed in a tweet on the platform formerly known as Twitter that “violent and terrorist content” had not been removed despite warnings as required by EU legislation.

Musk said that his business had acted, including by deleting freshly established accounts with ties to Hamas. He requested a list of the alleged transgressions from the EU.

The disinformation that European Union Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton mentioned in his letter to Musk was not further described.

But he added that numerous instances of “fake and manipulated images and facts” had been documented on the social networking site.

“I therefore invite you to urgently ensure that your systems are effective, and report on the crisis measures taken to my team,” he wrote in his letter, which he published on social media.

His letter was written a few days after the Palestinian militant organization Hamas attacked Israel, murdering hundreds of civilians and kidnapping scores more. In retaliation, Israeli forces attacked Gaza with waves of missile strikes that resulted in the deaths of over 900 civilians.

Musk responded to the question on X by saying, “Our policy is that everything is open and transparent, an approach I know the EU supports. “List any violations you can. So that the public can see them.”

Musk must “demonstrate that you walk the talk,” Breton wrote, adding that he was “well aware of your users’ — and authorities’ — reports on fake content and glorification of violence.”

Users of major tech platforms are protected by the EU Digital Services Act (DSA). Although businesses were given time to ensure that their systems conformed, it became legislation last November. On April 25, the Commission announced the very large online platforms, including X, that will be subject to the strictest regulations. These platforms have over 45 million EU users.

Four months later, in August, the statute became operative. The stricter regulations require larger companies to evaluate any dangers they may pose, publish their findings, and implement corrective action plans. Infractions of the DSA may result in service suspension or EU fines of up to 6% of a company’s annual global revenue.

Shortly after buying Twitter in 2022, Musk disbanded its Trust and Safety Council. About 100 independent organizations made up the volunteer council when it was founded in 2016, which guided topics like child abuse, self-harm, and hate speech.