According to its chief executive, Linda Lou Yaccarino, the social media platform X has taken action to categorize or remove tens of thousands of pieces of information and hundreds of accounts associated with Hamas after the militant group’s attack on Israel.
Elon Musk was given a 24-hour deadline by EU industry leader Thierry Breton to address the spread of false information on X, formerly known as Twitter, following the Hamas assault to comply with new EU online content guidelines. This prompted Musk to take action.
Breton said he had proof that the European Union employed X to disseminate erroneous information and illegal content. Under the newly approved Digital Services Act (DSA), big internet platforms like X and Meta’s (META.O) Facebook are required to remove unlawful content and take steps to address concerns about public safety and civic discourse.
Yaccarino noted X’s adjustments to deal with the rapidly shifting situation without further detail. She added that the Musk-owned company quickly assembled a leadership team to assess the situation following the attack.
In the letter to Breton on behalf of X, Yaccarino stated, “We wish to underline that we welcome additional contact with you and your team, including a meeting to address any particular queries and look forward to hearing further details to which we may answer.
According to the letter, X has immediately responded with more than 80 EU takedown requests and has not received any notice from Europol that the website has any illegal content.
Breton issued a similar warning to Meta (META.O) on Wednesday, giving the company 24 hours to inform him of their actions to prevent the spread of false information on their platforms in the aftermath of the assault on Israel.
