00:00 Elon Musk's social media platform X has removed hundreds of Hamas-linked accounts and taken
00:07 down or labelled thousands of pieces of content since the militant group's attack on Israel,
00:12 according to the CEO of the company, formerly known as Twitter.
00:16 Linda Iaccarino on Thursday outlined efforts by X to get a handle on illegal content flourishing
00:22 on the platform.
00:24 She was responding to a warning from a top European Union official who requested information
00:28 on how X is complying during the Israel-Hamas war with tough new EU digital rules aimed
00:34 at cleaning up social media platforms.
00:37 So far since the start of the conflict, X has identified and removed hundreds of Hamas-affiliated
00:42 accounts from the platform, Iaccarino said in a letter posted on X.
00:47 The platform is proportionately and effectively assessing and addressing identified fake and
00:52 manipulated content during this constantly evolving and shifting crisis, she wrote in
00:57 response to the request from European Commissioner Thierry Breton, the digital enforcer for the
01:02 27-nation bloc.
01:03 Under the EU's Digital Services Act, which took effect in August, social media companies
01:08 have to step up policing of their platforms for illegal content under threat of hefty
01:13 fines.
01:14 "There is no place on X for terrorist organisations or violent extremist groups, and we continue
01:19 to remove such accounts in real time, including proactive efforts," Iaccarino said.
01:24 X has taken action to remove or label tens of thousands of pieces of content and pointed
01:29 out that community notes, a feature that allows users to add their own fact-checks to posts,
01:34 is visible on thousands of posts, generating millions of impressions.
01:38 Since billionaire Musk acquired Twitter last year and renamed it, experts say the platform
01:42 has become not just unreliable but actively promotes falsehoods, while a study commissioned
01:47 by the EU found that it's the worst-performing platform for online disinformation.
01:52 Rivals such as TikTok, YouTube and Facebook are also coping with a flood of unsubstantiated
01:57 rumours and falsehoods about the Middle Eastern conflict, playing the typical whack-a-mole
02:01 that erupts each time a news event captures world attention.
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