European Union launches probe as Musk's X claims it removed accounts, content amid Israel war

The European Commission has launched an investigation into X even as executives at Elon Musk's social media platform insist they have been cracking down on misinformation and illegal content pervading the site in the days since the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel.

The platform formerly known as Twitter had been facing mounting pressure from the 27-nation bloc amid concerns that it had not been adequately policing the propaganda and depictions of violence flooding its platform.

Hundreds of Hamas-linked accounts have been removed from the platform formerly known as Twitter, Linda Yaccarino, the company's CEO, claimed in a Thursday post on X. Additionally, Yaccarino claimed that thousands of pieces of content have been labeled or taken down since the war broke out around the contested land known as the Gaza Strip.

Yaccarino shared a letter on the platform in which she responded to a top European Union official who had demanded to know the steps X was taking to moderate the illicit posts, photos and videos flooding its platform showing the carnage.

"In response to the recent terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas, we've redistributed resources and refocused internal teams who are working around the clock to address this rapidly evolving situation," Yaccarino said.

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Experts warn of rising hate speech, graphic imagery on X

Changes Musk has put in place since he purchased Twitter for $44 billion and renamed it X have caused the platform to run afoul of the EU’s Digital Services Act.

Taking effect in August 2022, the law penalizes social media companies with hefty fines if it's found that illegal content like terrorist propaganda or hate speech are insufficiently policed.

European Union officials announced Thursday that they have now sent a request for information to X under the act to assess the company's compliance with the law. X has until Oct. 18 to respond to investigators.

"The #DSA is here to protect both freedom of expression & our democracies — including in times of crisis," Thierry Breton, a European commissioner, said in a Thursday post on X in announcing the investigation.

Under Musk's leadership, X has carried out massive cuts to its content moderation teams and required that users pay to have a blue checkmark that once indicated a verified account. The changes have caused many experts and media observers to worry that Musk has made the platform more susceptible to misinformation.

And that was before decades of Israeli-Palestinian hostility was reignited.

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Exploiting lax content moderation on X and other sites, experts warn that Hamas has made online terror propaganda that includes violent videos and graphic images of kidnappings and murders of civilians and soldiers a key strategy in its military campaign.

Groups who study online hate speech say it has spiked against both Jews and Palestinians following the deadly attacks in Israel, where the death toll has already risen to the thousands on both sides of the fighting. Furthermore, representatives of both communities have told USA TODAY that they believe U.S.-based social media companies have not done enough to rid their platforms of violent rhetoric.

In the weeks before the conflict, the Anti-Defamation League had already been critical of X over what it believes are Musk’s alleged promotion of extremists on the site and his perceived laissez-faire approach to content moderation. 7amleh, an Arab civil rights organization, has also been attempting for months to persuade X to quell hate speech against Palestinians, USA TODAY has reported.

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CEO: 'no place on X for terrorist organizations or extremist groups'

Breton, the bloc’s digital enforcer, had sought an explanation from X for how the company was complying with the EU's strict digital rules as the Hamas Israel war rages.

“X is proportionately and effectively assessing and addressing identified fake and manipulated content during this constantly evolving and shifting crisis,” Yaccarino said in a letter to Breton dated Wednesday. "There is no place on X for terrorist organizations or extremist groups."

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The social media platform said it assembled a leadership group shortly after news of the attack broke and Yaccarino said it has since responded to takedown requests from law enforcement agencies from around the world, including more than 80 from EU member states. As the war unfolds, Yaccarino said X has removed "hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts" and "tens of thousands of pieces of content" containing "violent speech, manipulated media and graphic" imagery from the conflict.

But some observers are skeptical of X's commitment to controlling the propaganda and depictions of violence flooding its platform.

A report from the Tech Transparency Project found several instances of “verified” X users, some with more than 500,000 followers, spreading uncensored Hamas propaganda videos. 

One clip viewed more than 60,000 times posted to X shows bodycam footage of Hamas militants going room-to-room in an Israeli military base firing automatic weapons as bloodied corpses lie on the ground.

“It's been nearly ten years since the Islamic State made heavy use of social media to amplify its propaganda and recruitment efforts. Although some platforms have improved at reducing the spread of Islamic State content, today we see Hamas deploying very similar tactics on X,” TTP director Katie A Paul told USA TODAY. “The company has monetized the spread of Hamas propaganda despite its clear violations of X policy. X needs to effectively enforce the rules it has on the books as the conflict continues.”  

Contributing: Jessica Guynn and Will Carless

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com