Photo Credit: AP Photo
The European Union (EU) has launched legal action against social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, after identifying disinformation related to Hamas's October 7 attacks in Israel, according to EuroNews
The executive on Monday said it would probe whether X may have breached EU rules "in areas linked to risk management, content moderation, dark patterns, advertising transparency and data access for researchers."
It follows a request for information sent by the Commission to X in October after it received indications the platform was spreading illegal content and disinformation, particularly terrorist and violent content in the context of Hamas' attack in Israel, Euro News Reports.
Since August 2023, X has been subject to new EU rules that oblige the platform to mitigate risks related to the dissemination of illegal content, disinformation and violence.
https://x.com/ThierryBreton/
It is the first time the European bloc under its landmark rules for online platforms, the Digital Services Act (DSA) launches such proceedings.
Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the Commission said available evidence is enough to formally open a proceeding against the tech giant.
"The evidence we currently have is enough to formally open a proceeding against X," Vestager, said.
"The Commission will carefully investigate X's compliance with the DSA, to ensure European citizens are safeguarded online - as the regulation mandates."