EU threatens X with DSA penalties over spread of Israel/Hamas disinformation
- Reference: 1697045286
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/10/11/eu_threatens_x_with_dsa/
- Source link:
In a letter [1]posted to X, EC commissioner Thierry Breton said the EC has indications that X posters were sharing fake and manipulated images, photos and video from prior conflicts and even footage from video games that were being passed off as content from the current conflict.
"This appears to be manifestly false or misleading information," Breton said in his letter. "Let me remind you that the Digital Services Act sets very precise obligations regarding content moderation."
[2]
Breton posted his letter yesterday at 1820 UTC, and gave Musk 24 hours to send "a prompt, accurate and complete response." It's unclear if anything formal has been sent (neither the EC nor X replied to questions) but Musk did reply to Breton's X post.
[3]
[4]
"Our policy is that everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports," Musk [5]xeeted . "Please list the violations you allude to on X, so that the public can see them. Merci beaucoup."
Breton responded, essentially telling Musk to quit playing games.
[6]
"You are well aware of your users' – and authorities' – reports on fake content and glorification of violence. Up to you to demonstrate that you walk the talk," Breton [7]told the billionaire, who responded once more telling him that X "takes our actions in the open. No back room deals."
EU better fall in line, VLOP
The DSA that Breton alluded to in his letter is one half of the EU's [8]new rules for big tech along with the [9]Digital Markets Act , but it's the DSA and its content moderations requirements that Musk's platform has run afoul of - and not for the first time.
The EC identified 17 Very Large Online Platforms ( [10]VLOPs ), Twitter/X among them, in April. VLOPs are defined in the DSA as being any online platform able to reach 10 percent of the EU's population, and the Act requires them to conform to a stringent list of content moderation [11]obligations .
[12]Twitter unveils US midterm election integrity plans, upsets almost everyone
[13]Musk, Yaccarino contradict each other on status of X's election integrity team
[14]Obscure internet boutique Amazon sues EU for calling it a Very Large Online Platform
[15]Twitter gives up fight against COVID-19 misinformation
As was [16]noted when the DSA went into effect in late August, stress tests of VLOP compliance at several social media platforms, Twitter/X again among them, led the EC to conclude that improvements were needed at multiple companies. In early September, the EC said disinformation coming out of Russia had actually [17]increased since mid-2022 when the major platforms all [18]signed a voluntary disinformation code.
Twitter, as it was called at the time, was a signatory, but [19]pulled out of the deal in May of this year. As Breton [20]noted then, "[DSA] obligations remain. You can run but you can't hide … our teams will be ready for enforcement."
As of late last month, "X, former Twitter, who is not under the Code any more, is the platform with the largest ratio of mis/disinformation posts," EC VP Vera Jourova [21]said , based on a report from TrustLab. Since Hamas' attack on Israel and the resulting flare-up in violence, X has been [22]accused again of allowing disinformation to proliferate by [23]multiple watchdogs and individuals.
Far from being a toothless law, the DSA comes with serious penalties for VLOPs like X, whether they're onboard with being regulated or not. The DSA gives the Commission the ability to levy fines of up to six percent of global turnover, can require immediate platform changes and, if a VLOP decides to still not play ball, suspend it from the EU bloc entirely.
[24]
Whether Musk will cave before X is banned in Europe is unclear, but those [25]financial backers and [26]yet-to-return advertisers will probably be anything but happy if access to the eyeballs of 448 million EU citizens is lost. ®
Get our [27]Tech Resources
[1] https://twitter.com/thierrybreton/status/1711808891757944866
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2ZScbChKgKzxzI0iR0amaCAAAAE4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZScbChKgKzxzI0iR0amaCAAAAE4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZScbChKgKzxzI0iR0amaCAAAAE4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1711832919335976991
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44ZScbChKgKzxzI0iR0amaCAAAAE4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://twitter.com/ThierryBreton/status/1711855394601971785
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/25/google_eu_dsa/
[9] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-services-act-package
[10] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_23_2413
[11] https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/digital-services-act-ensuring-safe-and-accountable-online-environment/europe-fit-digital-age-new-online-rules-platforms_en
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/12/twitter_midterm_integrity_plan/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/28/x_election_integrity/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/07/11/amazon_sues_eu_dsa/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/30/twitter_covid_misinformation/
[16] https://www.reuters.com/technology/big-tech-braces-roll-out-eus-digital-services-act-2023-08-24/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/05/big_tech_vlops/
[18] https://disinfocode.eu/signatories-archive/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/30/twitter_disinformation/
[20] https://twitter.com/ThierryBreton/status/1662194595755704321?s=20
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/26/twitter_eu_disinformation/
[22] https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/misinformation/x-misinformation-israel-hamas-war-network-disinformation-rcna119696
[23] https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4248175-how-musks-x-is-amplifying-misinformation-about-israel-and-gaza/
[24] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/personaltech&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZScbChKgKzxzI0iR0amaCAAAAE4&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[25] https://www.reuters.com/technology/x-ceo-yaccarino-tells-bank-lenders-that-revenue-grew-by-single-digit-percentage-2023-10-05/
[26] https://www.theregister.com/2023/09/05/twitter_adl_lawsuit/
[27] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Musk universe is Twitter
Breton?
But it was fine when the pre-Musk Twitter intentionally spread disinformation such as suppressing the (now known to be legitimate) Hunter Biden laptop story, etc, etc.
If it wasn't for Twitter we wouldn't have seen the UK branch of Back Lives Matter praise the terrorist atrocities that happened in Israel this week.
Only X ?
Are we to believe that the European Commission has regarded content on all major social media platforms and that X was the only one with false information..
That would be very, very surprising.
Re: Only X ?
More likely it is the one that has actively cut its own moderation efforts to save money.
To be fair they are all cesspits showing much of the worst of humanity...
Re: Only X ?
The other social media haven't fired their entire trust and safety teams, so the posts eventually get removed. Good luck finding any evidence of that on Twitter...
musk is a real life Ted Faro
In other words we had better start on project zero dawn sooner rather than later and keep the data for future generations safe from the likes of Ted Faro.....
Disinformation is rife
I have two words for you: beheaded babies. Did it happen? Did it not? An overenthusiastic i24 reporter went with the story, major western news sources ran with it, and now the security forces are downplaying it as something they are not in a position to confirm.
The sheer horror of this attack, and it's aftermath, and the hundreds of civilians dying on both sides has made this something that people get very emotional about, whether pro Israel, pro Palestine, or just "wtf humanity?", so I wonder if, right now, anybody is capable of reporting on things objectively? Because without objectivity and impartiality the narrative gets twisted, and that's where disinformation begins.
Of course, things are very much worse on social media where random people can spew their bollocks to the world, but then social media is rather an echo chamber of crazy gibbering, it's depressing that anybody would consider it a source of "news".
Hmm, disinformation. According to the BBC:
"The EU has warned Mark Zuckerberg over the spread of "disinformation" on Meta's social media platforms after Hamas' attack on Israel.
It told Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, it "has 24 hours" to respond and comply with European law."
Aunty does mention that other social media platforms, including Xitter, were getting the same treatment. Didn't notice any mention of multiple platforms in this piece, though:(
Naturally, disinformation is undesirable, but I imagine it's pretty hard to deal with - all the more so when you've dispensed with much, if not all, if the team that was supposed to handle it. In fairness, images of one conflict are going to be pretty hard to tell apart from any other unless you have direct knowledge of the situation on the ground, and this isn't a new thing now that his Muskiness is in charge - dodgy images purporting to show events in one conflict but really showing totally different events have been a thing for a long time.
It's not limited to conflicts, either. You have the likes of Q Anon, the flat earthers, moon landing hoaxers, chemtrailers, antivaxers and the outpourings of every sky fairy believer on the planet to deal with. Former presidents squealing about fake news don't help either, and that's before you factor in all the folks who complain that perfectly genuine material is disinformation, just because it doesn't match their opinions. I'm glad I don't have to sort it out!
Get rid of that little lot and social media will be reduced to funny cat videos (what if it's only mildly amusing - does that count as disinformation?) and pics of people's lunch.
Given his stubborn and capricious nature, I should think his Muskiness is seriously considering telling the EC where they can shove their regulations, probably with a poop emoji. Not sure he will be able to resist all those eyeballs, though. The internal conflict must be tearing him apart - someone pass the popcorn!
Other sites
> Didn't notice any mention of multiple platforms in this piece, though
It looks like the letter to Meta came after the letter to X. And our piece was written in between - ie, after the letter went to X and before Meta.
We'll add in Meta and any others now.
C.
Musk universe is Twitter
Breton's universe is the real world.
Guess who will have to comply...