The European Commission is investigating X, the social network that everyone still calls Twitter, for possible violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The decision comes following “the indications received from the Commission services regarding the alleged spread of illegal content and disinformation, in particular the spread of terrorist and violent content and hate speech”, as stated in an official note. And above all, it comes after the terms of the first request for clarification addressed to the owner of X, Elon Musk, last Tuesday expired, where the role of the platform in spreading fake news on the conflict between Hamas and Israel was highlighted.
The requests
The European Commission services are also investigating the platform’s policies and practices “regarding warnings on illegal content, complaint handling, risk assessment and measures to mitigate identified risks”. X is now called to provide the information requested by 18 October 2023 as regards the activation and functioning of the response protocol to the crisis and by 31 October 2023 for the remaining issues, which include “the evaluation and mitigation of the risks related to the dissemination of illegal content, disinformation, gender-based violence and any negative effect on the exercise of fundamental rights, children’s rights, public safety and mental well-being”. Based on the responses from Elon Musk’s social media, the Commission will evaluate the next steps.
The analysis Israel and Hamas polarize social media. And a “cultural war” is already being fought on X by Arcangelo Rociola 10 October 2023
The law
The For these companies, since the end of August, the Digital Services Act establishes standards for some fundamental issues, such as transparency, accountability, cooperation and enforcement of rules, as well as defining general principles and guarantees for freedom of expression and other user rights. Failure to comply with the rules set out in Article 66 of the DSA can result in fines of up to 6% of the company’s annual turnover, but can also lead to the possibility of banning the activity on European territory.
Not just Musk
“TikTok has a particular obligation to protect children and adolescents from violent content and terrorist propaganda, as well as from death threats and potentially life-threatening content,” he wrote the European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services Thierry Breton.
The Commission also sent a letter in Meta on Wednesday, reminding the parent company of Facebook and Instagram of the obligation of moderation measures to deal with misinformation. From Menlo Park, a Meta spokesperson said the company responded to the letter and set up a “special operations center” after the Hamas attack last Saturday.