Ads on Musk-owned social media site risk causing ‘reputational damage’ to the EU, its executive says in internal note.

The European Commission has decided to stop advertising on social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, over “widespread concerns relating to the spread of disinformation,” according to an internal note obtained by POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook.

In a note sent to all heads of service and directors general, the Commission’s Deputy Chief Spokesperson Dana Spinant said disinformation on X, especially in relation to the Israel-Hamas war, had led the institution to “recommend to temporarily suspend advertising on this platform until further notice to avoid risks of reputational damage to the Commission.”

X has been under growing scrutiny in Europe as a result of the bloc’s new content moderation law, the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission, which enforces the law, in October sent a formal request for information to the company to explain how its handling of illegal content and disinformation connected to Hamas’ October 7 attack complies with the DSA.

  • @MeanEYEEnglish
    3•1 year ago

    It has its appeals. Being able to mention anyone publicly in your messages gives people feeling of empowerment. This also made companies react far faster to tech support than they would otherwise because people would see others complaining and join in. So fuckups would be obvious and publicly available. There was a merit to it, but for the most part those benefits only provided fertile ground to cancerous behavior.

      • @MeanEYEEnglish
        0•1 year ago

        You are right, I always forget to switch to past tense.