The EU will check the social network X for disinformation about the conflict in the Middle East

The European Union (EU) has launched an investigation into Elon Musk’s social network X (formerly Twitter) for compliance with the Digital Services Act for “spreading disinformation” related to the Palestinian group Hamas’ attack on Israel. About it writes Politico.

The EU Commission has sent a formal request to the platform demanding it disclose how it handles problematic content. It is clarified that this is a preliminary step before the start of an official investigation. X has until October 18 to explain “its crisis response” to propaganda and other “false content” related to the Hamas attack on Israel. By the end of the month, the social network must provide information about content moderation. After this, the commission will decide whether to open a formal case against the platform.

If the commission reveals violations, the company faces a fine of up to 6% of global revenue. Politico emphasizes that this is the first time the EU has carried out such a procedure.

X CEO Linda Yaccarino in a response letter notedthat the platform is “actively working to meet the operational needs of this evolving conflict.” Following the attack, Palestinian faction X took action to remove or label “tens of thousands of pieces of content,” she said.

The aggravation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict began on the morning of October 7, when the Palestinian group Hamas began military operations against Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the launch of Operation Iron Swords, and the government announced that the country had entered a state of war. The total number of victims of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has exceeded 2,400 people.