The European Union accuses X owner Elon Musk, but the billionaire claims the platform is “transparent,” while reports on misinformation make it difficult to recognise the truth.
A senior European Union official claims social media platform X is being used to spread illegal content and misinformation in the ongoing escalation between Palestine and Israel, warning that violations of the bloc’s rules could result in fines.
Thierry Breton, the EU Internal Market Commissioner, stated in an open letter to Elon Musk that there were clear signs of violent and terrorist content circulating on X.
“We have, from qualified sources, reports about potentially illegal content circulating on your service despite flags from relevant authorities. I therefore invite you to urgently ensure that your systems are effective, and report on the crisis measures taken to my team.”
Breton called on Musk to give a “prompt, accurate, and complete response to this request within the next 24 hours.”
Elon Musk responded:
“Our policy is that everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports. Please list the violations you allude to on X, so that that the public can see them.”
Since the conflict in the Middle East began on Saturday, there have been numerous reports of misinformation on X. Users complained about outdated footage, mislabelled or processed in a way to give the impression of new ones, or even frames from video games. People couldn’t find true information among multiple false postings.
After purchasing X, formerly Twitter, Musk reinstated users previously banned for posting false content. Critics have accused the platform of becoming a haven for misinformation and abuse.
The conflict began with a Hamas operation called Al-Aqsa Flood, launched in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem and the oppression of Palestinians in the region.
In response, the Israeli military launched Operation Iron Swords against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. Israel has cut off water and electricity supplies to the enclave, worsening the already poor living conditions in the area, which has been under siege since 2007.
