2023-10-11 05:20:23
After false information about the Islamist Hamas attacks on Israel was spread on Elon Musk’s online platform X, the EU Commission took action. In a letter, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton reminded Musk of the obligation to delete illegal content. There are indications of images that have been manipulated or actually come from video games. Musk initially pretended to be ignorant.
He called on Breton to list the violations “so the public can see them.” The commissioner remained firm: “They are well aware of the reports from their users – and the authorities – about misinformation and the glorification of violence.” It is now up to Musk to put his words into action. “But what ARE these contents we’re talking about?” Musk wrote again hours later.
On the profile of Newly created accounts with connections to Hamas were also removed.
Tech billionaire Musk bought Twitter almost a year ago and later renamed the online service X. Shortly after the takeover, he laid off around half of the workforce. According to media reports, many employees who were responsible for the security of the platform and the fight against misinformation also lost their jobs during his austerity measures. However, the manager Lind Yaccarino, appointed by Musk as the X boss, recently said that the relevant departments were now being rebuilt.
Musk repeatedly emphasized that, in his view, Twitter had restricted freedom of speech too much before the takeover. Accordingly, he relaxed the rules for statements on the platform. The Jewish organization ADL and some researchers, among others, have seen an increase in anti-Semitic content on the platform since then. Musk rejects this and threatened to drag the ADL to court. Since the takeover, many former advertisers have avoided X because they fear a negative environment for their brands. This affects revenue.
“Following the terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel, we have evidence that your platform is being used to spread illegal content and disinformation in the EU,” Breton wrote in a letter published on X on Tuesday evening.
He wanted to remind Musk of the new EU laws that apply to large online platforms – namely that it must be clear what content is allowed and what is not. “This is particularly important when it comes to violent and terrorist content that appears to be circulating on your platform,” Breton wrote. In addition, such content must be deleted as quickly as possible. He asked for a response within 24 hours.
According to a new law, Facebook,
Meanwhile, the independent German Federal Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination, Ferda Ataman, called on the government to leave X. This was reported by the media company Table.Media, citing the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency. It goes on to say that Ataman massively criticized the platform operators in a letter to government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit and pointed out the inadequate enforcement of applicable law on the platform.
It is “increasingly questionable whether government and state authorities should conduct public relations work on a platform that has become a disinformation network and whose owner shares or spreads anti-Semitic, racist and right-wing populist content,” the letter continues.
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