Elon Musk’s X fights misuse, shuts down hundreds of Hamas-linked accounts

X, formerly known as Twitter, reports removal of “hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts” and thousands of posts since the attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group. The European Union gave X 24 hours to address illegal content and disinformation regarding the conflict under the recently enacted Digital Services Act, or face penalties.

CEO Linda Yaccarino responded to EU official Thierry Breton in a letter dated Wednesday, stating that the company had redistributed resources and refocused internal teams to address the rapidly evolving situation. Yaccarino emphasized that there is no place on X for terrorist organizations or violent extremist groups, and they are actively removing such accounts in real time.

X is addressing fake and manipulated content during this evolving crisis and has assembled a leadership group to assess the situation, said Yaccarino. Mischaracterized videos and posts went viral on X over the weekend, causing concern among experts tracking the spread of misinformation.

Since the attack on Israel, X has taken action to remove or label tens of thousands of pieces of content that violate its rules on violent speech, manipulated media, and graphic media. The platform has also responded to over 80 takedown requests from EU authorities.

“Community Notes,” allowing X users to fact-check false posts, are visible on thousands of posts, generating millions of impressions, mentioned Yaccarino. Notes related to the conflict take about five hours on average to show up after a post is created, raising concerns about exposure to fake or manipulated content before moderation.

EU’s Thierry Breton acknowledged receipt of Yaccarino’s letter on Thursday, stating that the Digital Services Act enforcement team will analyze the reply and decide on next steps. The act is a significant effort to regulate tech giants, and companies violating the act could face substantial fines.