After warning Elon Musk and X, EU tells Meta to crack down on Israel-Hamas disinformation

The European Union has issued a stern warning to Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, regarding the proliferation of “disinformation” on its social media platforms in the aftermath of the Hamas attack on Israel. Meta has been given a tight 24-hour deadline to respond and align with European law.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas has prompted a surge in misleading and false information across social media, with manipulated images and mislabeled videos adding to the problem. The EU previously warned X about the presence of such content.

Thierry Breton, the EU’s industry chief, emphasized that Meta must demonstrate its commitment to “timely, diligent, and objective action.” In a letter, he insisted that the company had a mere 24 hours to outline the “proportionate and effective” measures taken to counteract the spread of disinformation on its platforms.

A spokesperson for Meta informed the BBC that, in response to the recent terrorist attacks by Hamas, a specialized operations centre was rapidly established. This centre is staffed with experts, including those proficient in Hebrew and Arabic, to closely monitor and respond to the rapidly evolving situation.

The European Commission has reminded all social media companies of their legal obligation to prevent the spread of harmful content linked to the Palestinian militant group Hamas,

The Commission underlined that online content associated with Hamas qualifies as terrorist content and is subject to removal under both the Digital Services Act and Terrorist Content Online Regulation.

In response to instances of “fake and manipulated images and facts” being widely reported on the social media platform, Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter (X), has called for immediate action to ensure the effectiveness of their systems and has requested a report detailing the crisis measures implemented. Musk shared this letter on social media, underscoring the urgency of the situation.

The European Union’s (EU) digital safety laws are beginning to exert influence on major technology companies. The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) was enacted in November, granting companies a transitional period to align their systems with the regulations. Since August, the DSA applied to very large online platforms, including Twitter (X), which has over 45 million EU users.

Under these more stringent rules, larger companies are mandated to assess potential risks they may pose, report these assessments, and implement measures to address any identified problems. Failure to comply with the DSA can result in EU fines equivalent to 6 per cent of a company’s global turnover, or potentially, the suspension of their services. Musk emphasized the principles of openness and transparency and urged the EU to list the alleged violations on Twitter (X) to make them visible to the public.

The dialogue underscores the EU’s commitment to ensuring compliance with digital safety regulations and its resolve to hold tech giants accountable for content-related issues.