EU drops bomb on Musk as X fails to filter fake Israel-Hamas war content

The aftermath of the Hamas attack in Israel has raised concerns about the rapid dissemination of misleading claims and doctored images on Elon Musk's social media platform, X, which could lead to dire consequences, including potential fines of up to 6% of the platform's revenue. 

The European Union (EU), known for its stringent internet regulations, has taken particular issue with the situation.

European Union Commissioner Thierry Breton, in a letter posted on X, warned Musk that the platform was spreading "illegal content and disinformation." 

The EU expects platforms to combat fake content effectively. Breton demanded that the company address allegations of "violent" d

isinformation within 24 hours.

In response, Musk challenged Breton's post and requested a list of the alleged violations for public scrutiny. X had previously announced the removal of newly created accounts affiliated with Hamas and actions taken on tens of thousands of posts containing graphic media, violent speech, and hateful conduct. However, it did not specify the nature of these actions.

Recent changes made by Musk have made it more challenging to track the full extent of deception on X, as tools to trace fake news to its source were eliminated before his acquisition of the platform in October 2022. This limitation forces researchers to manually analyze thousands of links, making it more difficult to monitor deceptive content.

Despite these challenges, X has seen over 500 unique Community Notes posted about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, some false claims, such as a manipulated US government document indicating approval for $8 billion in military funds to Israel, have still spread on the platform.

Other instances include falsely labelled videos and miscaptioned footage, contributing to the dissemination of false information. 

In a surprising attack, Hamas gunmen went on a rampage through towns, leading to hundreds of casualties, making it the deadliest Palestinian militant attack in Israel's history.

While disinformation has spread across major social media platforms, X has recently faced increased scrutiny from regulators. Under Musk's leadership, the platform has implemented measures that could incentivise users to spread provocative or false claims to gain followers.

Musk himself suggested that X users follow accounts that had previously disseminated false claims, reportedly for "real-time" updates on the conflict. Disinformation appears to be most prevalent on X compared to other platforms.

Balancing the need for content moderation to protect users with the desire to disseminate real-time information remains a challenge for social media platforms. This challenge becomes more significant during unforeseen events like a terrorist attack, where video footage plays a crucial role.

Despite the existence of Community Notes, it appears that they may not be as effective at correcting false information when misleading narratives have already reached thousands of users. X maintains that it is in the public interest to provide information in real time.

Other social media platforms, including YouTube, have their moderation and removal processes to ensure content compliance with their rules. In response to the situation, Snap, the owner of Snapchat, keeps its map feature available while monitoring for disinformation and content that incites violence in the region.