The European Union (EU) has accused Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, of having a fraction of the content moderators compared to its rivals. The EU claims that X has only 2,294 content moderators to ensure users comply with EU online content rules. The EU believes that this is far too low when it compares the figures with what its rivals have. A senior European Commission official said X’s figures are far lower than the likes of Google and TikTok.
The new EU Digital Services Act (DSA) requires no less than 19 very large online brands and two very large search engines to make more changes to their services so as to tackle illegal and fake/harmful content on their platforms. Popular brands like X, Google, Apple, TikTok, Meta and Microsoft are all to make changes.
The EU says that now that the figure difference has come to light, it hopes that X will feel the pressure to do something about it. An EU official said
“There is an important aspect of the DSA, and that is peer pressure,”
If X feels this peer – pressure, then it will have to employ thousands of content moderators in the EU region. In recent times, the EU has boosted its staff that enforces the DSA from 50 to 120. Thus, it expects that there will be no loopholes and no defaulting brand will escape. However, big tech companies have very deep pockets and an army of lawyers. Whether or not the EU will be able to deal with this prowess remains to be seen.
X Content Moderators compared to its rivals
According to the reports submitted by the companies to the EU in September, X has only 2,294 content moderators to ensure users comply with EU online content rules. In comparison, Google’s YouTube has 16,974 content moderators, Google Play has 7,319 content moderators, and TikTok has 6,125 content moderators. Therefore, X has significantly fewer content moderators than its rivals.
The EU’s rationale for requiring social media platforms to have content moderators is to combat disinformation, hate speech, and other harmful content. The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) imposes strict rules about content moderation, and social media platforms are subject to the highest level of scrutiny under this act. The EU has warned social media platforms that they must remove disinformation as quickly as possible once they have received notice that it is disseminating illegal content.
Gizchina News of the week
The EU also requires social media platforms to have sufficient numbers of content moderators in each EU language to ensure that harmful content is removed from their platforms. The EU’s goal is to protect its citizens from harmful content and to ensure that social media platforms are not used to spread disinformation, hate speech, or other harmful content.
X’s Content Moderation
X, formerly known as Twitter, has been under close scrutiny by the EU for its content moderation practices. The EU has accused X of being the biggest source of fake news and disinformation. The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) imposes strict rules about content moderation, and X is subject to the highest level of scrutiny under this act. The EU has warned X that it is closely watching how it fights disinformation and that it must remove disinformation as quickly as possible once it has received notice that it is disseminating illegal content.
The EU’s accusation that X has a fraction of the content moderators compared to its rivals is concerning. Content moderation is crucial to ensure that social media platforms are not used to spread disinformation, hate speech, or other harmful content. With only 2,294 content moderators, X may struggle to keep up with the volume of content posted on its platform. This could result in harmful content remaining on the platform for longer periods, potentially causing harm to users.
Implications for X
The EU’s accusation that X has a fraction of the content moderators compared to its rivals could have significant implications for the platform. X may face fines or other penalties if it fails to comply with the EU’s content moderation rules. The EU has already warned X that it is closely watching how it fights disinformation and that it must remove disinformation as quickly as possible once it has received notice that it is disseminating illegal content. If X fails to comply with these rules, it could face fines or other penalties.
X may also face reputational damage as a result of the EU’s accusation. Users may be less likely to trust the platform if they believe that it is not doing enough to combat disinformation and harmful content. This could result in a decline in user numbers and a loss of revenue for the platform.
Conclusion
The EU’s accusation that X has a fraction of the content moderators compared to its rivals is concerning. Content moderation is crucial to ensure that social media platforms serene. They ensure that these platforms are not filled with fake news, hate speech, or other harmful content. X may face fines or other penalties if it fails to comply with the EU’s content moderation rules. The platform may also face reputational damage if users believe that it is not doing enough. X must take the EU’s accusation seriously and take steps to improve its content moderation practices. What do you think about the number of moderators that X have? Do you think they are enough to do the job or X has to employ more people? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
