Social Media Showdown: Elon Musk's X Challenged by EU Over Graphic Content
- IndiaGlitz, [Thursday,October 12 2023]
Elon Musk has until the end of Wednesday to respond to European Union orders demanding that he remove graphic content and disinformation on the Israeli conflict from his spot social media site X. Brussels has warned Musk about his obligations under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) rules.
Failure to comply with these requests could see X, formerly known as Twitter, fined up to 6 percent of its revenue under the EU's regulations. Social media companies are supposed to rapidly delete hate speech, violent posts, and any graphic materials or propaganda in support of terrorist organizations.
Following the recent Hamas' attacks on Israel, X has been filled with images, videos, and trending hashtags of graphic details of Israelis being harmed or kidnapped, which need to be removed under X's policies themselves.
EU Commissioner Thierry Breton called for Musk to respond rapidly and in full within 24 hours. The EU said the response of factor X would be fed into its consideration of whether or not DSA compliance is met.
Meanwhile, the UK's Minister for Online Content Rules, Michelle Donelan, plans meetings with news media companies like Google, Meta, X, TikTok, and Snapchat. Such meetings are aimed at reminding such companies of their requirements for removing content related to anti-Semitism and extreme violence in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks.
A spokesman for X has yet to respond to the developments. In reply to Breton's post, Musk asked for details about how X would have breached European content regulations and reiterated that his company was open to independent scrutiny of its policies. Breton called upon Musk to prove his commitment to said principles.