European Union report finds X has a major disinformation problem
X outstripped many of its larger peers in the amount of disinformation on its platform.
X, the company previously known as Twitter, could soon find itself in hot water with European Union officials due to the amount of misinformation on its platform. The platform has an outsize role in the spread of misinformation, according to a new EU report.
The EU shared its findings in its first report on platforms’ handling of mis and disinformation as part of the Digital Services Act. The sweeping law, which recently went into effect, requires major platforms to disclose details about their handling of misinformation. Dozens of companies have additionally agreed to a voluntary “Code of Practice” on disinformation. X announced in May that it was pulling out of the agreement, though the company said it would adhere to the stricter disinformation policies required under the DSA.
The report found that X outstripped many of its larger peers when it comes to the volume of disinformation on its platform, and the engagement such posts attract. “X … is the platform with the largest ratio of mis/disinformation posts,” European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said in a statement. The report also found that X ranked the highest in discoverability of misinformation and disinformation, followed by Facebook and Instagram.
X didn’t respond to a request for comment. In a series of tweets from its Global Affairs account, the company disputed the “framing” of the data and said it remains “committed to complying with the DSA.”
We disagree with the overall framing of this data and believe that the data does not fit the narrative being covered in the media. This important debate should take into account the full range of actions taken by platforms & recognize the importance of protecting free expression
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) September 26, 2023
In a statement, Jourova said that all of the major platforms need to “to adjust their actions to reflect that there is a war in the information space waged against us.” She said that upcoming elections within the EU “will be an important test for the Code that platforms signatories should not fail.”
She also said that Musk would not be “off the hook” just because Twitter pulled out of the code of practice, according to comments reported by The Guardian. “My message for Twitter/X is you have to comply. We will be watching what you do.”
