X asserts it is eliminating 'illegal' Hamas material following a European Union mandate.

X, previously known as Twitter, has informed the European Union (EU) that it has taken down or flagged "tens of thousands of pieces of content" following the Hamas attack on Israel. The EU had given X a 24-hour ultimatum to demonstrate its compliance with European law, prompted by a rise in misinformation on social media platforms regarding the conflict, including manipulated images and mislabeled videos. X CEO Linda Yaccarino revealed that hundreds of accounts had been removed by the company. The EU has also issued a similar warning to Facebook and its subsidiary Meta concerning disinformation, accompanied by a 24-hour deadline. The EU has refrained from commenting on whether Meta has responded, but maintains that there are ongoing discussions with the company's compliance teams. The BBC approached Meta for comment. Yaccarino assured that X is dedicated to transparency, safety, and the successful implementation of the Digital Services Act, and will continue taking necessary action. In a letter to the EU, she stated that X had complied with over 80 content removal requests from the EU, as well as added contextual notes to specific posts. These notes are displayed on more than 5,000 posts containing matching images or videos, with the number automatically increasing if the content is reused in new posts. Yaccarino dismissed claims of "illegal content" made by the EU, stating X had not received any notices from Europol. EU commissioner Thierry Breton has called on X and Meta to demonstrate their prompt and objective actions. In August 2023, the EU introduced the Digital Services Act, which regulates permissible content online. According to the act, "very large online platforms" must proactively remove "illegal content" and demonstrate the measures taken upon request. The EU has not provided information on the next steps in these specific cases, but has outlined the possible actions under the law, including interviews, inspections, formal investigations, fines, and even temporary bans from the EU if platforms fail to comply or address identified problems that may harm users.