Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and X, speaks to reporters as he leaves the “AI Insight Forum” at the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on September 13, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Elon Musk's social networking platform, X, has bolstered its fight against misinformation amid the Israel-Hamas war. The CEO of the company, Linda Yaccarino, revealed that X (formerly Twitter) has taken action by deleting hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts and either removing or properly tagging thousands of pieces of information related to the militant group's major attack on Israel.
In response to Thierry Breton's inquiry about X's compliance with the strict new digital standards of the EU during this crisis, a letter outlining these harsh procedures was sent in response to his inquiry. Yaccarino confirmed in her letter to Breton that "X is proportionately and effectively assessing and addressing identified fake and manipulated content during this constantly evolving and shifting crisis," as quoted in AP News' report.
X takes the step to directly comply with the EU's Digital Services Act, narrowing the definition of "illegal content" and requiring extremely large internet platforms to actively remove it while also demonstrating their efforts. mainland Europe. These criteria must be followed, or you risk paying hefty fines.
Israel-Hamas Misinformation Flooding Social Media Platforms
Social media platforms, including X rivals Facebook and TikTok, have experienced a deluge of images and videos since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The online platforms have also seen posts spreading misinformation and distorting videos from unrelated incidents.
According to a BBC report, Yaccarino indicated in her letter to EU that over "700 unique notes related to the attacks and unfolding events are showing on X, These notes display on an additional 5,000+ posts that contain matching images or videos. This number grows automatically if the relevant images and videos are re-used in new posts."
X has reaffirmed its commitment to removing, in real-time, any information connected to terrorist organizations and violent extremist groups. The platform boldly removed or labeled tens of thousands of conflict-related posts. Notably, X has given users the option to add their own fact-checks to postings about continuing assaults and developing events using a special tool dubbed "Community Notes."
Read Also: Israel-Hamas War: How Hamas Used Commercial Drones in Recent Terror Attack
Notably, X has responded quickly to removal demands from law enforcement organizations all across the world, with over 80 of these requests originating from EU member states. This proactive approach highlights X's commitment to upholding the Digital Services Act.
EU Demands Prompt Response
However, the EU and Commissioner Thierry Breton have expressed worry over X's reaction time to complaints, notably in relation to false information and illegal content like hate speech. Breton has immediately requested that Elon Musk guarantee the effectiveness of their systems and report as soon as possible on the steps taken to remedy the situation. Penalties may be imposed for noncompliance, highlighting the EU's dedication to maintaining the Digital Services Act.
Breton said, as quoted by The Guardian, "Given the urgency, I also expect you to be in contact with the relevant law enforcement authorities and Europol and ensure that you respond promptly to their requests."
Concerns concerning fraudulent postings and the support of war coverage by accounts known for spreading rumors or making antisemitic remarks have drawn attention to X's role in material distribution during the Israel-Hamas war.
Following these difficulties, social media platforms like X are faced with the difficult duty of battling misinformation and ensuring adherence to changing digital laws amid major world crises.
It's important to note that since Elon Musk bought Twitter and rebranded it as X, experts have expressed worries about the social media platform's dependability and tendency to purposefully spread false information. Furthermore, it has been named the worst-performing platform for online misinformation by a research that the EU commissioned.
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