The European Union is withdrawing its ads from Elon Musk's X platform due to a worrisome rise in hate speech and disinformation. The European Commission may take further action next year by imposing a fine of over $100 million on X for violating new EU regulations targeting digital media cleanup.
"In recent weeks, there has been a concerning rise in disinformation and hate speech on various social media platforms," stated European Commission spokesperson Johannes Bahrke on Friday.
He also mentioned that the commission had urged EU institutions to avoid advertising on platforms with such content, confirming that only X had been impacted by the temporary ban.
Following a deadly attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in October, the European Commission requested X to furnish details of the measures it was implementing to combat the dissemination of "illegal content and disinformation" on its platform.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and also the owner of Twitter, was seen gesturing as he participated in the Viva Technology conference, which focuses on innovation and startups, at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France on June 16, 2023. (Photo by Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)
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The commission is currently examining X's rebuttal and determining its course of action. It has also requested analogous information from TikTok and Meta, the parent company of Facebook.
Social media companies within the EU must adhere to the regulations outlined in the Digital Services Act. This groundbreaking legislation, passed in August, aims to impose stricter regulations on large tech companies and safeguard online users' rights. Any company found to be in violation of the DSA may face fines of up to 6% of their annual global revenue.
A little over a year after Musk acquired X, he anticipates the company to bring in $3 billion in revenue this year, as reported by Reuters in July. If the European Commission determines that X has violated DSA regulations, the company could face a fine of up to $180 million. X declined to comment in response to a request from CNN.
Antisemitism at the top?
However, the implementation of a fine is not expected until next year, as each of the EUs 27 member states must first appoint national "digital services coordinators" with the authority to impose penalties by February 17. As of now, only two states, Italy and Hungary, have fulfilled this requirement, according to a commission spokesperson speaking to CNN.
Social media platforms have been flooded with antisemitism, Islamophobia, and misinformation in the wake of the October 7 attack by Hamas and Israel's response. Even the world's richest man, Musk, has embraced some of this hateful content.
On Wednesday, Musk publicly supported an antisemitic conspiracy theory to his 164 million followers on X, which alleges that Jewish communities spread hatred towards white people. This theory was cited as a motivating factor for the 2018 attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, which resulted in the deaths of 11 worshippers, marking the deadliest assault on Jewish people in American history.
Musk rejected allegations of antisemitism, stating in a post on Sunday that they were completely untrue. However, this has not prevented several major media companies, such as Disney and Paramount, from withdrawing their ads from X.
The European Commission, which has recently expressed concern about the significant increase in antisemitism in Europe, has refrained from directly criticizing Musk. A spokesperson for the commission declined to provide a comment to CNN regarding Musk's recent post.
The White House condemned the post on Friday, calling it unacceptable to perpetuate the false narrative behind the deadliest act of antisemitism in American history. White House spokesperson Andrew Bates stated to CNN, "It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of antisemitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust."
"We condemn this abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate in the strongest terms."
Spotlight on Musk
The European Commission has reported a recent increase in antisemitic incidents and rhetoric within its borders, citing attacks on synagogues in Germany and Spain, and on a Jewish cemetery in Austria. "In these difficult times, the EU stands by its Jewish communities and condemns these despicable acts in the strongest possible terms," said the Commission in a statement on November 5th.
Germany's Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, dedicated to ensuring equal treatment in both the workplace and daily life, made the decision on October 11 to completely disassociate from X due to a significant surge in discriminatory and hateful speech on the platform. This decision was accompanied by a direct call-out to Musk.
Ferda Ataman, the independent federal commissioner for anti-discrimination in Germany, stated in a press release, "Ministries and government bodies should reconsider their presence on a platform that has evolved into a hub for misinformation and is run by an owner who promotes anti-Semitic, racist, and populist content."
Ataman stated in an email to CNN on Wednesday that there is no justification for public institutions to continue using this platform to support X. She noted that the spread of conspiracy theories, antisemitism, and hate speech, as well as Musk's continued support of hateful and antisemitic content, are evidence of this.
Europes new digital rules do not include powers to fine individuals for the content they post on social media.
In theory, Xs content moderators should hold Musk to account.
Sandra Wachter, a technology and regulation professor at the Oxford Internet Institute, noted the requirement of the DSA for employees to treat their boss like any other user. This includes taking down his posts or flagging them as problematic if they violate EU rules. Wachter also pointed out the conflict of interest in expecting employees to police their own boss, acknowledging the extraordinary difficulty of this situation.
