Elon Musk, CEO of X, formerly known as Twitter, has found himself in the midst of a growing controversy.
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The European Union (EU) has called on Musk and his platform to address the spread of disinformation related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. The EU alleges that X has been inundated with posts sharing graphic media, violent speech, and hateful conduct regarding the ongoing conflict.
X has declared its commitment to taking robust action to combat this surge of problematic content, elevating the crisis to its highest level of response. However, this move has not been without criticism. Watchdog groups outside the platform, along with European Commissioner Thierry Breton, have raised concerns over the continued circulation of misinformation and the presence of fake and manipulated imagery on X.
The situation escalated over the weekend when Elon Musk posted the names of two accounts he suggested were suitable for “following the war in real-time.”
This action drew significant backlash, with one account labeled as “absolutely poisonous” by Emerson Brooking, an analyst from the Atlantic Council.
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Furthermore, journalists and X users pointed out that both of these accounts had previously shared a fake AI-generated image of an explosion at the Pentagon, and one of them had made numerous antisemitic comments in recent months. Musk subsequently deleted his post.
Commissioner Breton has voiced suspicions that Musk’s X platform is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation. This has raised questions about whether X is complying with EU rules regarding the handling of such content.
This includes
“repurposed old images of unrelated armed conflicts or military footage that actually originated from video games,” Mr Breton said in a letter to Mr Musk on Tuesday.
“This appears to be manifestly false or misleading information.”
The EU commissioner has emphasized the need for Mr. Musk to address the dissemination of disinformation to align with the new EU online content regulations. In a letter directed to the tech billionaire, he expressed, “I therefore invite you to urgently ensure that your systems are effective and report on the crisis measures taken to my team.”
In response to Commissioner Breton’s statement on X, Mr. Musk reiterated his company’s policy, stating that they prioritize openness and transparency, treating everything as open source.
Mr. Breton firmly asserted that Mr. Musk is well aware of the existing problem.
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“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,” he responded to Mr Musk on X.
The Digital Services Act (DSA), a set of online content regulations, mandates that platforms like X and other major online entities remove unlawful content and implement measures to address potential risks to public security and civic discourse.
Mr Breton wrote:
“Given the urgency, I also expect you to be in contact with the relevant law enforcement authorities and Europol, and ensure that you respond promptly to their requests.”
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He said his team would also follow up with Musk on a number of other immediate issues related to DSA compliance.
“I urge you to ensure a prompt, accurate and complete response to this request within the next 24 hours,” Mr Breton said.
X did not promptly offer a response to an inquiry concerning Mr. Breton’s letter.
However, a prior post from X’s safety team, issued late on Monday, highlighted,
“In the past couple of days, we’ve seen an increase in daily active users on @X in the conflict area, plus there have been more than 50 million posts globally focusing on the weekend’s terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas.
“As the events continue to unfold rapidly, a cross-company leadership group has assessed this moment as a crisis requiring the highest level of response.”
The response entails the continuation of a policy often advocated by Mr. Musk, where users play a role in assessing potential misinformation. This approach adds contextual notes to such posts but does not result in their removal from the platform.
