Why is Elon Musk considering taking X out of Europe?
Elon Musk is reportedly considering stopping European access to X to avoid complying with new regulations issued by the European Commission.
Twitter, the social network for which billionaire Elon Musk paid $44 billion and whose name was later changed to X, is in the middle of another controversy. The social media platform could be saying goodbye to Europe, since the company faces a serious problem if it wants to continue operating in the continent.
The issue arose because of the Digital Services Act or DSA, a new regulation that was implemented in August to oblige large internet platforms to take care of, filter and try to eliminate all types of false information, due to the risks that large-scale disinformation can cause.
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EU investigates X for suspected misinformation regarding Hamas attacks
The European Union is investigating X, suspecting that false information and hateful content has been published about the Hamas attack on Israel. The investigation is the first to be conducted under the new tech regulations.
EU industry chief Thierry Breton said the organization had sent X a “formal request for information” to determine whether the platform was complying with the Digital Services Act, according to the BBC.
X chief executive Linda Yaccarino had said the social media site had removed hundreds of accounts affiliated with Hamas in response to a letter from Breton.
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Is X, formerly Twitter, going to close in Europe?
This is the million-dollar question, though it is not the first time that there has been speculation about the departure of the platform from the continent. Musk has expressed his disagreement with the DSA and according to information shared by Business Insider, the billionaire is considering closing Twitter down in Europe.
Paid Twitter, who is affected?
Another recent issue involving X is the proposal to pay one dollar when creating a new account. According to Musk, it is not a measure to raise money, but rather to eliminate accounts, since he considers it a way to filter users when it comes to fake accounts that are created daily.