Israel-Hamas War: Top EU official issues 24-hr warning to Elon Musk over misinformation on X

European Union Commissioner, Thierry Breton has issued a stern warning to Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly known as Twitter), regarding the spread of illegal content and disinformation on the platform. This warning comes in the wake of recent terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel.

Failure to comply with these regulations could result in penalties, including fines worth up to 6 per cent of a company’s annual revenue. Breton urged Musk to ensure a prompt, accurate, and complete response within 24 hours.

In an open letter directed towards Elon Musk, Breton expressed concern over X being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation within the European Union (EU). He reminded Musk of the obligations set by the Digital Services Act (DSA) regarding content moderation.

Breton also pointed out that recent changes in public interest policies on X have left many European users uncertain. He emphasized that when X receives notices of illegal content in the EU, it must act timely, diligently, and objectively in removing the relevant content.

The Commissioner also highlighted instances of fake and manipulated images circulating on X. These include repurposed images of unrelated armed conflicts and military footage from video games, which he described as “manifestly false or misleading information.” He urged Musk to implement measures to tackle these risks.

Following the terrorist attacks by Hamas against 🇮🇱, we have indications of X/Twitter being used to disseminate illegal content & disinformation in the EU.

Urgent letter to @elonmusk on #DSA obligations ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/avMm1LHq54

— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) October 10, 2023

In response to Breton’s letter, Musk stated, “Our policy is that everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports. Please list the violations you allude to on X, so that that the public can see them.”

Breton then replied to Musk saying, "You are well aware of your users’ — and authorities’— reports on fake content and glorification of violence.Up to you to demonstrate that you walk the talk. My team remains at your disposal to ensure DSA compliance, which the EU will continue to enforce rigorously."

Also read: ‘Act of sheer evil’: US President Joe Biden condemns Hamas attack; reiterates support for Israel

Also read: Israel-Hamas war: Indian military leadership studying Hamas attacks as death count crosses 3,000