The non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announced on Thursday that it has filed a criminal complaint against the social network X (formerly Twitter) for its complicity in identity theft and the spread of disinformation. The Brussels correspondent TASR informs about it.
RSF recalled that after discovering that the X Network was helping to spread misinformation, it had filed ten breach reports against the platform, flagging the accounts responsible for spreading the allegedly misleading content. However, none of the posts in question were removed as requested by RSF, so it decided to sue the Elon Musk-led company in French courts for its complicity in disinformation, misrepresentation and identity theft. According to RSF, this court case points to insufficient content moderation required by EU legislation.
In late August, the NGO discovered a video falsely labeled as content from the British public broadcaster BBC, which claimed that RSF was the author of a study on Nazi beliefs spread among members of the Ukrainian military. RSF claims that behind this false information is Russia, which repeated it through official channels, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and two foreign embassies.
The video, which uses the RSF logo, graphic charter and photos of RSF Advocacy Director Antoine Bernard, has been widely shared, mainly on the X and Telegram networks. By September 13, when RSF launched its investigation, the video had nearly half a million views.
RSF says it has been the victim of three different videos since July that used its logo or photos of staff, while its reputation as an expert organization it was used to spread false information through social networks that reflect Moscow’s narratives.
“Platform X’s refusal to remove content it knows to be false and misleading, as duly reported by RSF, makes it complicit in the spread of disinformation. Platform X provides those who spread falsehoods and manipulate public opinion with a powerful arsenal of tools and unparalleled visibility.” Perpetrators have been granted total impunity for the spread of disinformation and war propaganda that victimized RSF and proliferated in Elon Musk’s network,” said RSF Advocacy and Outreach Director Antoine Bernard.
Head of RSF’s Brussels office, Julia Majerczaková, specified that in addition to the court proceedings in France, the organization also provided testimony to the European Commission, which started proceedings against the X network last December.
