European Union Warns Tech Companies To Remove Illegal Content Related To Hamas

EU industry chief Thierry Breton, (photo: twitter @ThierryBreton)

JAKARTA - The European Union has expanded requirements for technology companies to remove illegal content from their platforms, or face serious legal sanctions.

Following the Hamas Islamic militant group's attack on Israel and Israel's retaliatory attacks on Palestinian enclaves, Gaza, social media companies have seen a surge in misinformation related to the conflict, including manipulated images and mislabeled videos, along with graphic violence images.

On Tuesday, October 10, EU industry chief Thierry Breton told Elon Musk to limit disinformation on platform X, warning that the platform was used to spread illegal content and false information following recent violence in the Middle East.

Breton issued a similar warning to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday, October 11 and urged the company to ensure strict compliance with European law.

In a letter to Musk and Zuckerberg, Breton said their company had 24 hours to tell the EU how they stopped harmful content on their platform.

Now, the European Commission, the EU executive body, has reminded all social media companies that they are legally obliged to prevent the spread of harmful content related to Hamas.

"Content circulating online that can be linked to Hamas is considered terrorist, illegal, and must be removed in accordance with the DSA (Digital Services Act) and TCO Regulation (Terrorist Content Online)," a Commission spokesman said.

"The Commission will fully implement the DSA and monitor the full implementation of the TCO. The Commission urges online platforms to fully comply with EU rules," he said.

The newly implemented DSA requires large online platforms, including X and Facebook from Meta, to remove illegal content and take steps to address risks to public security and civil conversation.

Any company that violates DSA faces fines of up to 6% of global turnover, and repeat offenders can even be banned from operating in Europe altogether.

It's unclear whether Breton has sent a similar message to other social media companies set out in the DSA