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Twitter agrees to comply with tough EU disinformation laws

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Elon Musk has received a warning from EU industry chief Thierry Breton to comply with new EU online content rules, which prohibit the dissemination of suspected disinformation about Hamas's surprise attack on Israel Social media firms have seen a surge in misinformation about the conflict, including doctored images and mislabelled videos, that was spread on his X messaging platform, formerly known as Twitter.

In Breton's letter to Musk, he wrote, "I therefore invite you to urgently ensure that your systems are effective and report on the crisis measures taken to my team." Breton did not give any details on the disinformation he was referring to.

Musk, responding later on X to a user who had posted the letter, invited Breton to "please list the violations you allude to." Musk wrote, "Our policy is that everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports."

In August, when the new EU regulation came into effect, Musk responded to a post by Breton, promising that the platform was "working hard" to comply. However, there have been more warning signs. While the rules were still voluntary, the firm pulled out of an oversight group, and Musk, a self-styled "free speech absolutist," has been dismissive of criticism in his personal posts. In September, the billionaire tech mogul boasted that he had reduced the global team's efforts to monitor and restrict disinformat

The Digital Services Act (DSA) mandates that X and other large online platforms take action to address the threats to civic discourse and public safety. Breton stated in a letter to Musk, "Given the urgency, I also expect you to be in contact with the appropriate law enforcement authorities and Europol." "I will follow up with you on a number of other immediate issues within 24 hours."

If Musk does not follow the DSA's guidelines, the business may be subject to a fine equal to 6% of its X revenue or a complete blackout in the EU.

Newsweek

The European Commission has warned social media companies about the spread of disinformation, after Hamas' attack on Israel. It gave Elon Musk 24 hours to respond and comply with European law by removing illegal content under the Digital Services Act and Terrorist Content Online Regulation. In 2022, shortly after acquiring Twitter, Mr. Musk dissolved its Trust and Safety Council; he must now prove that he is taking timely and diligent action to comply with laws designed to protect users.

Three is a 2% chance Elon Musk will hold major political office in the US before February 2033, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

EU Warns Elon Musk 'Disinformation' is Spreading on X After Hamas Attack

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EU Warns Elon Musk 'Disinformation' is Spreading on X After Hamas Attack

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