EU warns Zuckerberg to tackle spread of disinformation amid Israel-Hamas conflict

The European Union's industry chief Thierry Bretonon Wednesday (Oct 11)warned tech mogul Mark Zuckerberg about a surge indisinformation on his platform and asked the Meta chief to respond within 24 hours with the measures his organisation will take to counter the spread amid the Israel-Gaza conflict.

"I would ask you to be very vigilant to ensure strict compliance with the DSA rules on terms of service, on the requirement of timely, diligent and objective action following notices of illegal content in the EU, and on the need for proportionate and effective mitigation measures," Breton told Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a letter.

The letter from EU's top tech regulator followed a similar one he sent Tuesday to billionaire Elon Musk about content on X.

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Breton warned Musk, on Tuesday (Oct 10), that his social media platform X is spreading "illegal content and disinformation".

"Following the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel, we have indications that your platform is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU," Breton wrote in the letter.

He reminded Musk that EU law sets tough rules on moderating content, "especially when it comes to violent and terrorist content that appears to circulate on your platform".

He then asked X to respond to his complaint within 24 hours and also get in touch with Europol, the EU police coordinating agency.

"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.

"I urge you to ensure a prompt, accurate and complete response to this request within the next 24 hours," he said.

"We will include your answer in our assessment file on your compliance with the DSA," Breton said, referring to the new EU Digital Services Act which regulates online platforms.

"I remind you that following the opening of a potential investigation and a finding of non-compliance, penalties can be imposed," it said.

Breton and Musk's online duel

Breton's warning prompted an online clash between him and Musk where the SpaceX founder publicly asked the EU commissioner to "please list the violations you allude to on X", and said the platform's policy was that "everything was open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports".

To which Breton responded that it was up to Musk to "demonstrate that you walk the talk" and added that his team was standing by to "enforce rigorously" DSA compliance.

(With inputs from agencies)

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