The European Union (EU) is warning Elon Musk's company, referred to as "X," that it could face penalties under the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to its involvement in spreading disinformation and illegal content related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. In a public letter sent to X on Tuesday, EC commissioner
Thierry Breton accused the platform of sharing fake and manipulated images, photos, and videos from previous conflicts, as well as misleadingly passing off content from video games as being from the current conflict.
Breton emphasized that the Digital Services Act imposes strict obligations regarding content moderation and demanded a prompt, accurate, and comprehensive response from X within 24 hours.
As of now, it is uncertain whether a formal response has been submitted, as neither the EC nor X has provided answers to inquiries. Nonetheless, Musk responded to Breton's post on X, stating, "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 the public can see them. Merci beaucoup."
Breton's response urged Musk to take the matter seriously, noting that users and authorities have reported fake content and the promotion of violence on the platform. Breton challenged Musk to demonstrate that X is committed to addressing these issues. In response, Musk reiterated X's commitment to transparency, stating, "X takes our actions in the open. No backroom deals."
The DSA provides the Commission with the authority to impose fines of up to six percent of a company's global turnover, enforce immediate platform changes, and suspend a VLOP from the EU bloc if it refuses to comply. Whether Musk's company will conform before facing a ban in Europe remains uncertain, but financial backers and advertisers may be greatly displeased if access to the 448 million EU citizens is lost.
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