Sources say that the EU’s threats to Musk are empty
Why did X and Musk post Hamas? The EU response of the X-Yaccaino back-and-forth
Yaccaino said that X assembled a leadership group shortly after news broke of the Hamas attack to outline the platform’s moderation policies. The CEO said the platform had responded to over 80 take down requests received in the EU “within required timelines” but noted that it had not received any notices from Europol about illegal content on the service.
The pair made a public exchange. Breton gave Musk a 24-hour deadline to respond; Musk told Breton to provide more details publicly. The people of the EU commissioner will be in touch with them. The billionaire said there were no backroom deals. Breton’s next post on X invited his followers to join him on Bluesky, a competing social media platform.
The back-and-forth between X and the European Union comes as the EU implements the DSA, which imposes obligations on large online platforms to remove illegal content and mitigate risks to public security more generally. Breton wrote to Meta to remind it of its obligations under the DSA.
A source who is closely associated with Breton’s team says that the politician wants to maintain his focus on the polls for as long as possible.
We now wait for the EU’s response. The DSA had warned X that noncompliance could lead to an investigation and possible fines.
Combating War Misinformation on X using Community Notes and a “Sharp Action” to Ensure EU Laws are Enforcing
There have been widespread reports of misinformation and disinformation spreading on X surrounding the Israel-Hamas war. The Guardian has gathered examples of such content with millions of views, which include videos and images being shared out of context. Researchers claim to have discovered a network of accounts posting false and inflammatory content about the war.
Yaccarino’s letter also emphasizes how X has been using Community Notes in an attempt to combat misinformation on its platform, noting that over 700 unique notes are being shown on the platform relating to the attacks. The volunteer- powered system is straining under the strain due to some posts taking hours or even days to be approved, and other posts fail to be labeled at all according to an NBC News report.
A top European Union official has fired off letters to top social media executives Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Shou Zi Chew over the flood of misinformation on their platforms related to the Israel-Hamas war, warning that EU laws can impose severe financial penalties if the spread of falsehoods goes unchecked.
The chief executive of Meta was given a week to lay out the company’s plan to stop war misinformation and fake posts on its platform.
Breton with the EU noted in his letter to Zuckerberg that regulators are not only focused on content related to the Israel-Hamas war, but also falsehoods that could spread in connection with upcoming election in Europe in countries including Poland and the Netherlands.
“X is proportionately and effectively assessing and addressing identified fake and manipulated content during this constantly evolving and shifting crisis,” Yaccarino wrote in her letter to Breton. We have taken proactive actions to remove offending content, such as violent speech, manipulated media and graphic media.
Musk made changes last year to the platform’s verification policies. Now, anyone willing to pay a monthly fee can receive a blue check mark — a badge previously reserved for credible news organizations and notable people. Now, having a paid-for “verification” mark boosts the reach of posts, an arrangement that misinformation experts say has contributed to considerable chaos on the site.
The Digital Services Act and the Breton-Zener-Ulam Sensitive Test of European Social Media Law in the Era of European Elections
The swift response comes in the face of the EU’s Digital Services Act, one of the toughest online safety laws in the world that took effect in August. Tech companies are hit with stiff fees if they violate the rules.
Under the law, social media platforms can be hit with heavy financial penalties if they fail to quickly remove hate speech, manipulated media or posts inciting violence.
There is no place for violent groups on X and we continue to remove accounts in real time.
The company has a special operations center set up with Hebrew and Arabic speakers to keep an eye on misinformation on its social media sites.
“I remind you that the DSA requires that the risk of amplification of fake and manipulated images and facts generated with the intention to influence elections is taken extremely seriously in the content of mitigation measures,” Breton wrote to Zuckerberg.
