Elon Musk has been cautioned by the European Union (EU) to adhere to new regulations targeting the dissemination of fake news and Russian propaganda on his platform, previously known as Twitter and now referred to as X.
This warning comes in the wake of X being identified as the social media platform with the highest prevalence of disinformation posts among major platforms.
In a groundbreaking report that sheds light on the extent of fake news circulating on social media across the EU, millions of fake accounts on platforms such as TikTok and LinkedIn have been eliminated. Facebook ranked as the second-worst offender in the report, which is the inaugural compilation of posts that fall under the Digital Services Act (DSA) framework, effective since August.
Despite this, Facebook and other tech giants like Google, TikTok, and Microsoft have embraced the EU's code of practice, ensuring their preparedness to operate within the parameters of the new laws. Twitter, however, chose to disengage from the code of practice, but it remains obligated to comply with the new regulations or face a potential ban across the EU.
European Commissioner Věra Jourová, responsible for enforcing the anti-disinformation code, affirmed that Mr. Musk cannot evade his responsibilities by leaving the code of practice. She stated, "There are obligations under the hard law. So my message for Twitter/X is you have to comply. We will be watching what you do."
Jourová also noted, "X, formerly Twitter… is the platform with the largest ratio of mis/disinformation followed by Facebook."
This comprehensive 200-page report offers insights into the efforts made by major platforms in the first half of 2023 to align with the new law. It reveals the behind-the-scenes actions taken by Facebook and others to combat Russian propaganda, hate speech, and other forms of disinformation.
Jourová expressed concern about ongoing Russian propaganda on social media, particularly in the lead-up to crucial elections in Slovakia and Poland. Platforms like TikTok, which recently faced a €345 million fine for violating data protection rules related to children, are actively striving to comply with the DSA. They are extending their fact-checking initiatives, covering multiple languages and forming partnerships with reputable news agencies like Reuters.
The report underlines that Russia continues to engage in a "war of ideas," disseminating disinformation across major platforms. Jourová urged large platforms to remain vigilant during elections, including the upcoming European Parliament elections, and be aware of the risks posed by disinformation.
She emphasized that Kremlin disinformation represents a multimillion-euro weapon used both domestically and internationally. The large platforms must address this substantial risk. While the war in Ukraine is the most frequent topic for propaganda, the report also highlights incidents of hate speech related to migration, LGBTQ+ communities, and the climate crisis.
In the case of Twitter, disinformation actors were found to have significantly more followers than their non-disinformation counterparts and tended to be more recent joiners of the platform, according to Jourová.
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