Elon Musk has been given until the end of Wednesday to respond to demands from the European Union (EU) to remove graphic images and disinformation related to the violence in Israel from his social network X (formerly Twitter).
Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner overseeing the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA) rules, has warned Musk of his obligations under these content rules. Failure to comply could lead to fines of up to 6 percent of X’s revenue under the EU’s new social media regulations, which require the removal of hate speech, incitement to violence, and propaganda promoting terrorist organizations.
Since the recent violent attacks on Israel by Hamas, X has been inundated with graphic images, videos, and hashtags depicting the violence. Such material should also be removed immediately under X’s own policies.
Breton wrote to Musk, “I urge you to ensure a prompt, accurate, and complete response to this request within the next 24 hours.” Musk, in response, asked Breton to outline how X may have violated Europe’s content rules, emphasizing that their policy is open source and transparent. Breton replied, “Up to you to demonstrate that you walk the talk.”
The British minister in charge of the UK’s online content rules also plans to meet with media companies, including Google, Meta, X, TikTok, and Snapchat, to remind them of their obligations to remove content related to antisemitism and extreme violence following the Hamas attacks.
