The EU investigates Meta & TikTok over handling Israel-Hamas war

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The EU has launched a probe into the Meta and TikTok handling of the Israel and Hamas conflict. The Commission has asked both platforms to explain how they tackle illegal content and disinformation amid war.

Since the war between Israel and Hamas began, the EU has started to scrutinize social platforms for handling disinformation and false content users share. The EU Commissioner Thierry Breton first accused X (Twitter) of being a platform to “disseminate illegal content and disinformation.”

He then warned X and Meta of violating the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The EU also blamed X for “the spreading of terrorist and violent content and hate speech.”

The new investigation into Meta and TikTok is a part of the EU’s DSA initiative that keeps social platforms accountable for the content they’re showing users. The European Commission has asked both companies to respond to the request by October 25.

Meta & TikTok should explain to the EU how they’re handling the Israel-Hamas conflict

The European Commission assesses the next steps after reviewing the response. Platforms could also face a fine for “incorrect, incomplete or misleading information in response to a request for information.” Failing to respond in time also results in more fines.

Under the DSA, social platforms should remove posts that might endanger public security. Any platform that fails to comply with the law could face a fine of up to 6% of its global turnover. The European Commission has also made further requests from Meta and TikTok, including how these platforms protect the integrity of elections and how they protect minors.

It remains to be seen if X and Meta would face a fine over mishandling the Israel-Hamas conflict. From the X side, the CEO says they’ve removed or labeled tens of thousands of pieces of content related to the conflict. Yaccarino added that the platform has responded to over 80 takedown requests from the EU.

While social platforms and the European Union are fighting over handling data, Google sent $8 million in relief funds to Israel-Hamas war victims. The fund will be distributed among local NGOs.

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