EU Commission Launches Investigation
X "Deletes Tens of Thousands of Contents"
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who leads the social networking service (SNS) X (formerly Twitter), is at risk of becoming the first target of sanctions under the European Union (EU)'s SNS regulatory law, the Digital Services Act (DSA).
On the 12th (local time), the EU Commission announced that it is investigating whether X properly managed illegal content related to the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas based on the DSA. Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner, said on the same day, "We have requested information from X under the DSA," emphasizing, "The DSA exists to protect freedom of expression and democracy even in times of crisis."
The DSA is a law introduced by the EU last August to prevent the spread of fake news and illegal content on online platforms. Platforms that do not comply with the regulations may face fines of up to 6% of their annual global revenue. Nineteen platforms, including X and Facebook, are classified as ‘very large online platforms and search engines’ under the DSA and are subject to stricter regulations.
Earlier, Commissioner Breton sent a warning letter on the 10th to Musk, CEO of X, which was acquired recently, urging him to take measures, stating that X did not comply with the obligations specified in the DSA.
According to Bloomberg, since the day after Hamas's airstrike on Israel on the 8th, more than 50 million posts related to the incident have been uploaded on X. These included fake news and misinformation. On the 8th, a video claiming to show Hamas shooting down an Israeli helicopter was posted and garnered over 2 million views, but it was revealed to be a montage of scenes from the video game ‘Arma 3.’ False information also spread that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been urgently transported to a hospital.
The Washington Post (WP) described this investigation as the most significant action taken against a platform since the EU implemented the DSA.
X has strongly opposed the EU's measures. On the same day, Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, sent a letter to Commissioner Breton claiming that X deleted tens of thousands of pieces of content or labeled them as misleading in the days following Hamas's attack on Israel.
She added, "Since the conflict began, we have identified and removed hundreds of Hamas-linked accounts from the platform," and stated, "There is no place for terrorist organizations or violent extremist groups on X."
CEO Musk also said, "Our policy is that everything’s source is open and transparent, which is an approach supported by the EU," and angrily demanded, "List what we have violated so the public can see."
Meanwhile, Commissioner Breton reportedly sent a letter to Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, on the same day, demanding a response within 24 hours on what measures are being taken to remove illegal harmful content.
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