European Fee says investigation follows indications of ‘illicit content material’ on the platform.
The European Union has launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s X social media platform over the unfold of disinformation and violent content material concerning the Israel-Hamas battle.
The European Fee, the bloc’s government arm, on Thursday filed a binding request for info to find out if the platform complies with the foundations on unlawful and dangerous content material.
The Fee mentioned in a press release that it launched the probe in response to “indications acquired regarding the presumed transmission of illicit content material”.
X has till Wednesday to reply to essentially the most pressing questions within the 40-page doc and till October 31 for much less urgent requests for info.
The transfer comes after social media platforms together with X have featured violent content material and misinformation concerning the Israel-Hamas conflict, together with footage from different conflicts and video video games.
X, which has slashed its content material moderation crew underneath Musk, has come underneath explicit scrutiny after an EU examine discovered that it was the worst-performing platform for combatting disinformation.
Thierry Breton, the 27-nation bloc’s self-proclaimed digital “enforcer”, earlier this week clashed with Musk on-line after accusing his platform of permitting the unfold of “violent and terrorist content material”.
Breton has despatched related nonbinding warning letters to the heads of Meta, Instagram and TikTok.
X chief government Linda Yaccarino has defended the social media community’s file, pointing to the deletion of lots of of Hamas-linked accounts and the elimination or labelling of tens of hundreds of items of dangerous content material.
Beneath the EU’s Digital Providers Act, which got here into impact in August, platforms that fail to crack down on content material deemed unlawful may be fined as much as 6 p.c of their international turnover and even banned from working inside the bloc.
Combating between Israel and Hamas entered a seventh day on Friday because the Israeli military instructed multiple million Palestinians trapped in Gaza to maneuver south inside 24 hours earlier than an anticipated floor offensive.
Israeli air strikes on Gaza over the previous week have killed greater than 1,500 Palestinians and wounded greater than 6,600 others, in response to Palestinian officers.
Greater than 1,300 individuals have been killed and three,000 injured by Hamas within the deadliest assault on Israel in a long time on Saturday, in response to Israeli officers.
