Israel

EU Investigating X Over 'Disinformation' Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict

Published OCT 13 2023

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Image credit: Chesnot [via Getty Images]

The Facts

The EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, is investigating X over concerns about the proliferation of disinformation regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. The commission sent a formal request Thursday to obtain information from the platform.
UPI
Thierry Breton, The EU’s commissioner for the internal market, announced the investigation on X, saying that the platform formerly known as Twitter may not be complying with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which took effect in August.
CNBC
This comes as Breton sent a letter on Tuesday to Elon Musk, claiming that the platform “is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU.” He added that Musk had 24 hours to explain how X would work to counter the alleged disinformation.
NBC
Following last week’s attack on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas, which the EU designates as a terrorist organization, various posts containing graphic images and misinformation have reportedly been spread on X and other social media platforms. Breton didn't detail the specific disinformation he's investigating but referenced alleged instances of "fake and manipulated images and facts."
BBC News
On Wednesday, Breton sent a similar letter to Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg regarding similar disinformation reportedly being spread on Facebook and Instagram. The EU’s DSA requires tech companies to prevent terrorist content and delete posts deemed as hate speech. Meta says it created a committee to monitor the conflict on the platform.
EC2
X — which claims to have removed hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts and thousands of harmful posts — has until Oct. 18 to respond to the most urgent questions in the 40-page document. The entire request must be fulfilled by Oct. 31.
Al Jazeera

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

Elon Musk’s complete abandonment of standards and ethics knows no bounds, as he allows disinformation to circulate on his platform. Musk made it his mission to completely destroy any content moderation measures, and his policy is being exploited, adding to a heightened time of conflict as false information and hate speech is spread across social media. The EU has laws to protect people against such vile lies, and Musk must comply just like all other social media executives do.

guardian

Narrative B

The European Commission is unfairly targeting Elon Musk and X over claims of “disinformation” without providing a single example to back up its allegations. While other platforms receive non-binding warnings, X must comply with strict investigations in order to avoid absurd fines and a potential suspension. Just like most “expert” opinions, the threshold for “disinformation” is quite arbitrary and politically biased.