X removes hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts, saying “no place” for terrorist organisations

California [US]: In the aftermath of the recent Hamas attacks on Israel, the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has removed hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts, stating “there is no place on X for terrorist organisations”.

“X is committed to serving the public conversation, especially in critical moments like this and understands the importance of addressing any illegal content that may be disseminated through the platform. There is no place on X for terrorist organisations or violent extremists groups and we continue to remove such accounts in real time, including proactive groups,” said the social media platform’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino.

The swift response from X was prompted by a 24-hour ultimatum issued by European Union industry chief Thierry Breton to Elon Musk, urging him to combat the spread of disinformation on X and ensure compliance with new EU online content regulations. Breton voiced concerns over the platform’s alleged use in distributing illegal content and disinformation within the European Union.

Under the newly implemented EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), large online platforms like X and Meta’s Facebook (META.O) are required to take more proactive measures to remove illegal content and address threats to public security and civic discourse.
Yaccarino emphasised that following the attack, X established a leadership group to evaluate the situation promptly.

In a letter addressed to Breton, Yaccarino expressed X’s willingness to engage further with the EU and its team, including holding a meeting to address any specific concerns. The CEO eagerly awaited additional details to which the platform could respond effectively.

X reported that it had responded to more than 80 takedown requests from the EU within the required time frame and had not received any notices from Europol regarding illegal content on its platform, as stated in the letter.

In a similar move, Thierry Breton issued a warning to Meta on October 9, granting the company 24 hours to provide information about the actions taken to combat disinformation spread through its platforms following the Israel attack.

Notably, the death toll in Israel since the Hamas attack on October 7 has jumped to 1,300 and some 3300 have been injured, including 28 in critical condition and 350 in serious condition, The Times of Israel reported citing Hebrew media reports.

The fate of an estimated 150 people abducted and taken to the Gaza Strip during the attack by Hamas is still unclear, the report said.