Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, analyzes how the war in Israel could disrupt supply chains and affect inflation in the U.S. in “Barron’s Roundtable.”
The European Commission sent a letter to Alphabet Inc. subsidiaries Google and YouTube on Friday warning the Big Tech giant to beware of graphic content and misinformation during the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East .
The EU Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton The letter was addressed to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, reminding the company of its content moderation obligations under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
“Following the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel, we are witnessing in the EU a wave of illegal content and disinformation spread through certain platforms,” Breton wrote in the letter published on X.
A YouTuber told Fox News Digital that Google Platforms had removed “thousands of harmful videos.” (AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In the letter, Breton emphasized Google’s legal requirements to keep graphic content such as hostage videos secret from minors in the European Union.
“I would first like to remind you that you have a special obligation to protect the millions of children and young people who use your platforms in the EU from violent content such as hostage-taking and other graphic videos,” Breton wrote. “This means that appropriate and proportionate measures must be taken to ensure a high level of privacy and security for minors.”
EU sets new online rules for Google and Meta to curb illegal content
The commissioner also noted Alphabet Inc.’s commitment to controlling disinformation about Israel’s war against Hamas on its social media platforms and taking effective “harm limitation measures” to protect users under 18.
| ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
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| GOOGL | ALPHABET INC. | 137.36 | -1.61 | -1.16% |
“They must have proportionate and effective remedies in place to address the risks to public safety and civic discourse posed by disinformation. Since many users use your platform as a news source, reliable sources should be appropriately differentiated and manipulated from terrorist propaganda. “Content such as repurposed videos or click bait,” Breton warned.
A YouTube spokesperson told Fox News Digital that it was reviewing Breton’s letter. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images/File/Fox News / Getty Images)
Breton also warned of possible penalties if a future investigation finds the tech giant is not complying with the EU’s DSA.
Under the DSA, major tech companies are required to monitor their platforms more closely to better protect European users from hate speech, disinformation and other harmful online content. The law also forces tech companies to make it easier for users to report problems, ban online advertising aimed at children and empower regulators to impose billions of dollars in fines for non-compliance.
A YouTube spokesperson told Fox News Digital that it was reviewing Breton’s letter.
EU Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
A YouTuber told Fox News Digital that Google Platforms had removed “thousands of harmful videos.”
“Following the devastating attacks on civilians in Israel and the escalating conflict in Israel and Gaza, our teams have removed thousands of harmful videos and our systems continue to provide people with high-quality news and information,” a YouTube spokesperson said. “Our teams work around the clock to monitor for harmful footage and remain vigilant to take quick action on videos, short films and live streams when necessary.”
EU LAW TARGETS BIG TECHNOLOGIES, HATE SPEECH AND DISINFORMATION
The platform said its systems prioritize connecting users to legitimate news sources and closely monitor content to ensure it complies with Google’s Community Guidelines.
The platform said it monitors age-restricted material and allows some graphic content if it provides appropriate context. (Annette Riedl/picture Alliance via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Additionally, the platform said it monitors age-restricted material and allows some graphic content if it provides appropriate context.
“For example, we may allow some graphic content or materials that violate our violent extremism policies if they are part of factual reporting with sufficient context from news organizations or if the content clearly denounces the actions in the video,” a YouTube spokesperson said .
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Google also said it has a crisis resources panel for Israelis during the war, with information from Israeli authorities available in Hebrew, Arabic and English.