X Under Fire from the EU

<p>In a not-so-shocking revelation, European Union officials are calling
out the big players in the social media realm for not doing enough to combat
online disinformation. Their main target? X (formerly known as Twitter).</p><p>X Under Fire for "Mis/Disinformation Posts"</p><p>European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/SPEECH_23_4645">didn't
mince words</a>. She singled out X (<a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/search-results/?searchPhrase=TWITTER">Twitter
to us normies</a>) for having the "largest ratio of mis/disinformation
posts" among platforms that submitted reports to the EU. Ouch.</p><p>But that's not all. Disinformation actors on X seem to be the cool kids
on the block. They have more followers and are the newbies on the scene
compared to non-disinformation users. Talk about crashing the party.</p><p>X's Questionable Commitment</p><p>To add fuel to the fire, <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/02/tech/twitter-content-moderation-official-eu/index.html">X
recently decided to ghost the voluntary code of conduct</a> on disinformation. Yes,
they ditched the voluntary commitment. This move made watchdog groups and
regulators raise an eyebrow or two. X? No response to the critique.</p><p>The EU receives reports from various big shots in the social media
world, including <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/search-results/?searchPhrase=Google">Google</a>,
Meta (formerly known as <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/search-results/?searchPhrase=FACEBOOK">Facebook</a>),
<a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/search-results/?searchPhrase=Microsoft">Microsoft</a>,
and <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/search-results/?searchPhrase=TikTok">TikTok</a>.
These reports claim they're making efforts to stick to the code.</p><p>Here's the catch: Following this voluntary code plays a role in deciding
if a platform is overall compliant with the <a href="https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-services-act-package">European
Digital Services Act</a>. This act means serious business and massive fines for
violations.</p><p>Big Names, Big Claims</p><p>Google showed off by blocking over 31 million euros in advertising
revenue to EU-based accounts spreading disinformation. TikTok flexed its
muscles, removing more than 140,000 videos with a billion views that violated
its misinformation policies. Not to be outdone, Microsoft said they thwarted
6.7 million fake accounts from landing on LinkedIn.</p><p>Google's subsidiary, YouTube, did some spring cleaning too, wiping out
hundreds of channels linked to the Russia-backed disinformation group known as
the <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/infamous-russian-troll-farm-appears-to-be-source-of-anti-ukraine-propaganda" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Internet Research Agency</a>.</p><blockquote><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We've seen the Kremlin put <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ukraine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ukraine</a> in its crosshairs since at least 2014, documenting and exposing thousands of cases of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/disinformation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#disinformation</a> on our platform. We will keep doing it for as long as it takes. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DontBeDeceived?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DontBeDeceived</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StandWithUkraine?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StandWithUkraine</a><a href="https://t.co/WosJ8P9LQG">https://t.co/WosJ8P9LQG</a> <a href="https://t.co/sFmXSBFpfA">https://t.co/sFmXSBFpfA</a></p>— EUvsDisinfo (@EUvsDisinfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/EUvsDisinfo/status/1708514903990894834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2023</a></blockquote><p>But Wait, There's More</p><p>Vera Jourova isn't letting these giants off the hook that easily. She's
expecting more effort and better results. Russian propaganda and disinformation
still lurk on these platforms, according to the EU.</p><p>Time for the social media platforms, whatever they’re calling themselves
these days, to step up.</p><p>X (Twitter), it seems, is a never-ending source of concern, or entertainment,
depending on your take. From <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/cryptocurrency/education-centre/the-impact-of-elon-musks-tweets-on-the-crypto-market/">Elon
Musk’s Tweets impacting the crypto market</a>, <a href="https://www.financemagnates.com/trending/elon-musks-rollercoaster-twitter-spacex-and-a-borrowed-billion/">to
borrowed billions and a struggling rocket</a>, the platform is certainly worth
a watch.</p>

This article was written by Louis Parks at www.financemagnates.com.