The EU has launched an inquiry into Elon Musk's X with regard to the potential for it to be used to promote terrorist and violent content, and hate speech, following Hamas' assault on Israel.
The inquiry, the initial one carried out according to the EU's new tech regulations, will likewise assess the handling of grievances.
X, which was earlier known as Twitter, reported that they had taken down hundreds of accounts connected to Hamas from their platform.
The EU has cautioned TikTok and Meta for insufficient efforts in combating disinformations.
A dramatic upsurge of false information related to the dispute between Israel and Hamas has been located on social media networks, incorporating manipulated photographs and wrongly titled video clips.
On Thursday, Thierry Breton, the EU's head of industry, confirmed that a "formal request for information" had been directed to X to assess if the platform was abiding by the Digital Services Act (DSA) which was instituted to guarantee the security of people who utilize major tech platforms and just become operational.
On Thursday, Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, reported that since Saturday's assault, the platform had eradicated hundreds of accounts associated with Hamas and taken action to label or delete tens of thousands of pieces of content, answering a letter from Mr Breton on Tuesday.
At least 150 hostages were seized by Hamas in Gaza and 1,300 individuals lost their lives during the organization's destructive raids in Israel over the weekend.
Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, is designated as a terrorist organisation in the EU.
Over 1,500 individuals have been lost in Gaza since Israel began its air strikes in response.
The UN's World Food Programme has described the state of affairs in Gaza as "dire", with supplies of food and water becoming depleted during an Israeli siege. Israel has stated that the blockade will remain in place until its hostages are liberated.
In his correspondence with Mr Musk, Mr Breton noted that, despite warnings, violent and terrorist content had not been eliminated from X.
Mr Breton gave no specifics concerning the misinformation he mentioned in his missive, yet declared that there were numerous cases of "fabricated and manipulated facts and visuals" publicized on the social network.
In a statement regarding X, Mr Musk expressed that the policy was "open and transparent," a concept that the EU endorses.
Please provide an enumeration of the violations you are referring to on X, so that the people can be aware of them.
The DSA was enacted in November of last year, yet companies were allowed a period of time to ensure that their systems met the requirements.
On 25 April, the commission identified the most significant online platforms - those with 45 million or more EU users - to be subject to the strictest rules, X among them. The regulations took effect four months later in August.
Under stricter regulations, major corporations must evaluate the hazards they might create, report this evaluation, and install procedures to handle the matter.
Non-observance of the DSA may incur EU sanctions of up to 6% of a company's global revenue, or even revocation of the service.
X will have until October 18th to furnish details on how the crisis response system is initiated and operates, and until October 31st to answer other queries.
Mr Musk abolished Twitter's Trust and Safety Council shortly after purchasing the company in 2022. Established in 2016, the voluntary council included around 100 different organizations who offered guidance on matters such as self-harm, child abuse, and hate speech.
A Meta spokesperson informed the BBC that they are putting all of their resources into ensuring that their platforms are secure, including setting up a special operations centre with experienced personnel keeping track of developments.
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