The European Commission has opened an investigation into X (formerly Twitter) for the spread of illegal content and disinformation, in particular the spread of terrorist and violent content and hate speech. The commission is investigating. The local authority services are entitled to request further information from X in order to verify the correct application of the law. The move by the department, led by Internal Market and Services Commissioner Thierry Breton, came after Brussels X warned businessman Elon Musk about manipulated and illegal content being spread following the attack on Israel by the Islamist group Hamas.
Social network X says it has deleted hundreds of accounts linked to the Islamist group Hamas and is taking measures to combat disinformation. In a letter signed by its managing director Linda Yaccarino, the platform led by Elon Musk is responding to the first warnings from the European Commission, which also warned in a letter on Monday that X was being used to spread illegal and manipulated content after the attacks in Israel gave the company 24 hours to respond with action to resolve the issue. Despite the social network’s response, false and manipulated content remains online, disinformation experts have found.
“We have taken diligent, productive measures to remove content that violates our policies, including violent speech, manipulated media and graphic media,” said Yaccarino’s letter, which also aired on X, where a public confrontation between Musk and Commissioner Breton takes place. which is leading the demands from Brussels and has been focusing on the fight against disinformation for months.
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X claims to have responded to more than 80 content removal requests and has not received any communications from Europol. In his letter to the European Commission, he lists elements that “This includes the threat of damage to homes, civil accommodation or infrastructure essential for everyday, civil or commercial activities,” the platform’s letter says. However, a walk through X shows that content of this type is still visible. The social network prohibits manipulated content, but this can also be found on the platform. In order to follow what is happening in the conflict, Musk himself recommended using accounts that have proven to spread manipulated content.
The social network, which is obliged by opening the investigation to provide new information to the Commission services before October 18, 2023, has undergone significant changes in its security policy since Musk took control of it. It does not participate in the voluntary European code against disinformation, which worries the local government. Now Brussels, through Thierry Breton Eliminate illegal content and address risks to public safety and citizen protection, according to community sources.
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With this law in hand, Bretón demanded on Tuesday . The Musk-led social network assures that a good system to prevent misinformation and manipulation is to place public announcements and notes after publications, in addition to limiting the “interactions” of this content by changing the algorithm, the letter says . “These measures aim to limit the reach of the publication while maintaining the public’s ability to view and discuss it,” continues the director of X.
X, which could face a fine of up to 6% of the global invoice amount – or even a ban from operating in Europe if the violation is repeated – is also ensuring that the company reallocates its resources and has multiple internal teams with the It has been tasked with dealing with the surge in illegal and fake content following the Hamas attacks on Israel. X, which fired many people in departments fighting disinformation after Musk’s arrival and restored accounts that had spread false information and hate content, says it has formed a group to assess the situation after the attacks. Yaccarino has requested a meeting with municipal authorities and is demanding more details about the alleged false or illegal content.
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