EU urges Musk to tackle spread of disinformation on X after Hamas attack

Breton said on Tuesday he had indications that X, formerly known as Twitter, was being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the European Union. "I therefore invite you to urgently ensure that your systems are effective and report on the crisis measures taken to my team," Breton said in a letter to Musk.

EU industry chief Thierry Breton told Elon Musk on Tuesday to tackle the spread of disinformation on his X messaging platform since Palestinian Islamist group Hamas' surprise attack on Israel to comply with new EU online content rules. Breton said on Tuesday he had indications that X, formerly known as Twitter, was being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the European Union.

"I therefore invite you to urgently ensure that your systems are effective and report on the crisis measures taken to my team," Breton said in a letter to Musk. Breton did not give details on the disinformation he was referring to.

Responding to Breton's X posting, Musk said his company's policy was that everything is open source and transparent. "Please list the violations you allude to on X, so that the public can see them," he said on X.

Breton said Musk knows there is an issue. "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," he responded to Musk on X.

The online content rules known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) require X and other large online platforms to remove illegal content and to take measures to tackle the risks to public security and civic discourse. "Given the urgency, I also expect you to be in contact with the relevant law enforcement authorities and Europol, and ensure that you respond promptly to their requests," Breton wrote.

He said his team would also follow up with Musk on a number of other immediate issues related to DSA compliance. "I urge you to ensure a prompt, accurate and complete response to this request within the next 24 hours," Breton said.

Failure to comply with the DSA can result in EU fines of as much as 6% of a company's global turnover.

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