Newsletter
The conflict between Israel and Hamas does not only take place on the battlefield, but now it has also been extended to X. As a mainstream social platform, X is dealing with tons of tweets about the ongoing war from both sides. After the EU accused X of mishandling Israel-Hamas disinformation on the platform, the CEO Linda Yaccarino has responded to the allegations. She said X has removed hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts and content.
The EU Commissioner Thierry Breton already stated that X is used to “disseminate illegal content and disinformation.” He said the platform has violated the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA requires social platforms to remove content that might pose a security risk to the public. The EU has also warned Meta about violating DSA.
Breton has notified both platforms that violating DSA might result in investigations and fines by the EU. The critical situation even led X CEO to drop out of the WSJ Tech Live conference to stay focused on the platform’s safety. Following Musk’s takeover, X (called Twitter back then) laid off its content moderation teams and dissolved the platform’s Trust and Safety Council.
X CEO details the company’s efforts to handle the Israel-Hamas conflict
CEO Linda Yaccarino has now outlined the company’s efforts to mitigate risks and handle the issue. She noted the platform has “taken action to remove or label tens of thousands of pieces of content” following the attack. Yaccarino added that the company formed a “leadership group” shortly after the incident happened.
Yaccarino then detailed the company’s content moderation policies and efforts to handle the issue. She also said X has responded to over 80 takedown requests from the EU “within required timelines.” In her letter, X CEO alluded to Community Notes as a method to combat misinformation. She said the platform added over 700 unique notes to clarify tweets that might contain false data.
While there are doubts about the impact of Community Notes, NBC News reports that it takes hours and even a few days for X moderators to approve notes. The outlet said some tweets are left without notes. Elon Musk also stepped in to respond to Thierry Breton. The billionaire asked Breton to publicly list the violations since the platform takes its actions in the open. Musk added there are “No back room deals.”