EU Launches Formal Investigation Into X Over Israel-Hamas War-Related Content: Report
The Elon Musk-owned X is the subject of a formal investigation by the European Commission investigating allegations of misinformation and the dissemination of unlawful material, including the dissemination of terrorist and violent material as well as hate speech in the aftermath of the continuing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Late on Thursday, the Commission said that it had formally requested information from X under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
As a “Very Large Online Platform,” X is now obligated to abide by the entire set of rules that the DSA has been implementing since late August, including the evaluation and mitigation of risks related to the spread of illegal content, misinformation, gender-based violence, and any adverse effects on the exercise of fundamental rights, children’s rights, public safety, and mental health.
According to the Commission, “in this specific case, the Commission services are looking into X’s compliance with the DSA, including with regard to its policies and practices regarding notices of illegal content, handling complaints, risk assessment, and steps to mitigate the risks identified.”
For inquiries pertaining to the activation and operation of the platform’s crisis response procedure, X must provide the relevant information to the Commission services by October 18; for all other inquiries, X must do so by October 31.
“The Commission will determine the next measures based on its evaluation of X answers. The official start of proceedings in accordance with Article 66 of the DSA may result from this, the Commission said.
“In the event that X does not respond, the Commission may proceed to formally seek the information. Failure to respond by the deadline in this instance may result in the application of fines,” it stated.
Following the October 7 Hamas assaults in Israel, EU commissioner Thierry Breton cautioned Musk earlier this week that his X platform “is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU.”
Breton sent Musk a letter stating that they had evidence that “your platform is being used to disseminate illegal content and misinformation in the EU” as a result of the “terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel.”
On Thursday, X CEO Linda Yaccarino said that the microblogging service has shut down thousands of “Hamas-linked accounts” and “taken action to remove or label tens of thousands of pieces of content” since the assault on Israel.
