According to a European Commission study, X, previously Twitter, has the highest proportion of disinformation of the six major social networks.

It looked at over 6,000 different social media posts from Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, and YouTube.

The study examined content from three nations considered particularly vulnerable to disinformation: Spain, Poland, and Slovakia.

The BBC has reached out to X for comment.

“My message to [X] is that you must follow the letter of the law.” “We’ll be watching what you do,” threatened EU Values and Transparency Commissioner Vera Jourova.

The misinformation study that sparked Ms Jourova’s statements included Spain, Poland, and Slovakia, all of which are at danger of being targeted by disinformation due to upcoming elections or closeness to the Ukraine conflict.

Twitter had the highest “ratio of discoverability” of misinformation – that is, the proportion of sensitive content that was made up of disinformation. According to the analysis, YouTube had the lowest.

Code of Disinformation

TrustLab, a misinformation monitoring startup, conducted the study as part of its work to assist the EU’s code of practice on disinformation.

In 2018, X, then known as Twitter, and many other social networks signed up to the voluntary code.

However, while Mr Musk was in charge, the corporation withdrew from the code.

X, on the other hand, will be subject to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which governs the behavior of huge tech platforms; the EU plans to convert the voluntary code into a code of conduct under the act.

“Mr Musk knows that he is not off the hook by leaving the code of practice, because now we have the Digital Services Act fully enforced,” said Ms Jourova.

Companies that do not comply with the act may face fines of up to 6% of their global revenue.

‘Millions of Euro Weapon’

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the EU has accused social media companies of failing to block “large-scale” Russian disinformation efforts.

It stated that the “reach and influence of Kremlin-backed accounts” had increased in 2023.

On Tuesday, Ms. Jourova stated: “The Russian state has engaged in the war of ideas to pollute our information space with half-truth and lies to create a false image that democracy is no better than autocracy.”

Russia was targeting “a multi-million euro weapon of mass manipulation” at Europeans, and the major social media sites needed to handle this issue, she added.