"EU warns Elon Musk over ‘disinformation’ on X about Hamas attack", 10 October 2023

The EU has issued a warning to Elon Musk over the alleged disinformation about the Hamas attack on Israel, including fake news and “repurposed old images”, on X, which was formerly known as Twitter.

The letter arrives less than two months after sweeping new laws regulating content on social media seen in the EU came into force under the Digital Services Act.

If Musk, the owner of X, does not comply he can face a fine of 6% of his revenues from X or a total blackout in the EU.

Thierry Breton, the commissioner responsible for the act, wrote to Musk to urge him to ensure “a prompt, accurate, and complete response” to the request to contact Europol, the EU police enforcement agency, and “relevant law enforcement agencies” within the next 24 hours.

Breton reminded Musk that he needed to have “proportionate and effective mitigation measures to tackle the risks to public security and civic discourse stemming from disinformation”.

“Following the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel, we have indications your platform is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU,” wrote Breton.

Musk quit a voluntary code of practice set up by the EU earlier this year to enable social media companies to put in place systems to comply with the new laws.

He responded to Breton on X saying: “Please list the violations you allude to on X, so that the public can see them.”

In a reference to the law’s requirement that platforms regulate their own content under the new laws Breton replied: “Up to you to demonstrate that you walk the talk.”

Under the new laws social media companies must respond to complaints about illegal content within 24 hours. They can dispute complaints by users, but there is an appeal process for consumers.

There are concerns in Brussels that Twitter is not responding within 24 hours to complaints about disinformation or other illegal content such as hate speech within the required time.

Breton asked Musk to “urgently ensure that your systems are effective” and to report back immediately to the EU over the crisis measures he has taken.

X came under scrutiny in the past few days after concerns were raised about fake posts and Elon Musk’s recommendation of war coverage from accounts that have made false claims or antisemitic comments.