The European Commission finally launches an investigation into hate speech and fake news on Twitter, triggered by the Israel-Hamas war



The European Commission (EC) has launched a formal investigation into the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) over its alleged breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) by the platform, which it claims is flooded with false and illegal content.

Commission opens formal proceedings against X under the DSA

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_23_6709

X to be investigated for allegedly breaking EU laws on hate speech and fake news | X | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/dec/18/x-to-be-investigated-for-allegedly-breaking-eu-laws-on-hate-speech-and-fake-news

The DSA will come into effect in August 2023, and social platforms, including X, will be required to comply with the law and take action to eliminate racism, fake news, and illegal content.

In early 2023, tech companies such as Facebook, TikTok, Google, and Microsoft signed the EU-established code of conduct in preparation for the implementation of the DSA, but X had withdrawn from the code of conduct. However, since it must comply with the DSA to deploy its services in the EU, EU and EC members called on X to make efforts to scrutinize content.



X promoted its efforts, such as the establishment of its own fact-checking system 'Community Notes' and the real-time removal of content from terrorist and violent organizations that violates X's terms of service, but these efforts were unsuccessful, and the EC directly ordered the launch of an investigation. Thierry Breton, EC's Commissioner for Markets and Services, stated that the investigation was launched due to 'suspicions of violations of obligations to combat illegal content and disinformation, suspicions of violations of transparency obligations, and suspicions of deceptive design of the user interface.'




The investigation into 'deceptive design' concerns the use of the 'blue check mark.' At the time of writing, the blue check mark is only available to those who pay, but it has long been criticized for causing confusion about information by distributing the mark, which was once seen as a guarantee of the legitimacy of the information source, to ordinary users, since it was previously only given to publicly authenticated users such as ministers and celebrities.

On October 10, 2023, the EU sent a formal letter to X after it was accused of using X to spread illegal content and disinformation within the EU in the wake of the war between Hamas and Israel. In response, X's CEO Linda Yaccarino wrote to Breton, saying the company was actively working to address the need.

However, such measures were deemed to be unlikely to be effective, which led to the initiation of the investigation procedure. The EU noted that there is no set timetable for the procedure and that the investigation will take time, but that it can apply 'provisional measures' before the investigation is completed if necessary. If X is found to have violated the DSA, it could be fined 6% of its revenue or banned from operating across the EU.

In response to the EU's announcement, X said it 'continues to comply with the DSA and cooperate with the regulatory process. X is focused on building a safe and inclusive environment for all users of our platform while protecting freedom of expression, and we will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal.'




Related Posts:

in Web Service, Posted by log1p_kr