Elon Musk, the founder of X (formerly Twitter), has been issued a warning by the European Commission after it was revealed that the platform has the highest ratio of disinformation posts among all large social media platforms. This warning comes in the wake of the European Union’s introduction of new laws on disinformation.
X has chosen to leave the EU’s code of practice, which was designed to ensure that social media platforms are prepared to operate within the parameters of the new laws. However, the EU has made it clear that these laws will still apply to X, and the platform could potentially face a ban.
European Commissioner Věra Jourová, who is responsible for implementing the new anti-disinformation code, emphasized that Mr. Musk cannot escape the obligations imposed by these laws simply by leaving the code of practice. She stated, “My message for Twitter/X is you have to comply. We will be watching what you do.”
The EU’s report, the first of its kind, focused on posts that will be deemed illegal across the EU under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into effect in August. Facebook, Google, TikTok, and Microsoft were all analyzed and have signed up to the EU’s code of practice. X, on the other hand, refused to participate in the analysis and did not provide information on areas such as fact-checking.
According to the report, Musk’s platform had the highest ratio of disinformation posts, followed by Facebook. The EU is particularly concerned about Russian hackers influencing upcoming European elections.
Interestingly, this news comes just a week after the hacking of Donald Trump Jr’s account on X, where hackers falsely announced his father’s death and posted sexually explicit messages.
It remains to be seen how X will respond to the EU’s warning and whether it will take steps to address the issue of disinformation on its platform. However, it is clear that the EU is determined to hold social media platforms accountable and ensure that they comply with the new laws designed to combat disinformation.
