EU threatens Musk with fines over Israel-Hamas disinformation on X
European Commissioner Thierry Breton warned Elon Musk that his X social network is spreading illegal content and disinformation related to the Israel-Hamas war and called on him to take quick action.
In the letter, which Breton posted on the social platform formerly known as Twitter, he reminded Musk that he has an obligation to take “very precise” content moderation measures under the European Union’s Digital Services Act and requested a response within 24 hours.
Thierry Breton publicly reminded Elon Musk about X’s responsibility to moderate content related to the conflict in Israel. Bloomberg
“We have, from qualified sources, reports about potentially illegal content circulating on your service, despite flags from relevant authorities,” Breton wrote in the letter on Tuesday. In particular, violent and terrorist imagery and false and misleading information were circulating without moderation, Breton said.
Breton cited reports of “fake and manipulated images and facts” on the platform, as well as “repurposed old images of unrelated armed conflict or military footage that actually originated from video games.”
Musk responded with a post on X, saying “everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports” and asking Breton to “list the violations you allude to on X.”
Musk and Breton have developed a rapport over the past year, in part through their shared affection for semiconductors and satellites.
Before Musk purchased Twitter, Breton flew to Texas and got the world’s richest man to film an awkward video saying he agreed with the EU’s ideas about content moderation.
Read More: The Man Keeping Musk, Zuckerberg and Big Tech in Line in Europe
Breton paid a visit to X during his tour of Silicon Valley in June and greeted Linda Yaccarino, then less than three weeks on the job as chief executive officer. Musk joined the meeting remotely for a “stress test” of Twitter’s ability to comply with the DSA and assured him at the time that he planned to comply with the laws.
Read the latest about the Israel-Hamas war
- Israel faces risky, agonising decisions on hostages The abductions of dozens of civilians present the Jewish state with difficult options on the Gaza retaliation and a potential prisoner swap.
- Analysis | Biden’s oil reserve bet looks shaky as Israel pounds Gaza The decision to sell from the US strategic reserve could come unstuck, amid fears the Middle East conflict could push prices higher and accelerate inflation.
- Opinion | Israel has never needed to be smarter What Israel’s worst enemies –Hamas and Iran – want is for Israel to invade Gaza and get enmeshed in a strategic overreach there.
- Opinion | Hamas attack shows nothing has changed in Iran Going on for 44 years since the overthrow of the Shah, Tehran has tried to destabilise the region with Israel in the frontline.
- Sydney grandmother killed in Hamas attack Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed Galit Carbone is the first Australian citizen to have died in Saturday’s terror attack near Gaza.
- ‘Babies in their beds’: Israeli families slaughtered in kibbutz Israeli soldiers have discovered that a scenic farming community of 750 people has been reduced to “pure hell”.
- Biden pledges support for ‘overwhelming’ Israel counterattacks The US president also described the Hamas attacks as “pure unadulterated evil” that was inflicted on hundreds of civilians.
- Israeli SAS prepares hostage rescue in ‘extremely’ risky operation The Sayeret Matkal specialises in hostage rescue but with more than 100 people held in locations across Gaza laced with traps, such a mission is unprecedented.
Bloomberg
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