Can journalists take on X?

By Adam Smith | Tech correspondent

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is suing X (formerly Twitter) in French courts for enabling the spread of disinformation, identity theft and defamation.

The lawsuit stems from X’s refusal to remove a deceptive video, falsely attributed to the BBC, claiming RSF authored a study accusing Ukrainian soldiers of Nazi affiliations. Widely shared on X and Telegram, the video used RSF’s logo and images, and had 500,000 views by mid-September.

Despite filing 10 formal complaints under the EU’s Digital Services Act, RSF’s requests were either rejected or ignored, and X took no action to remove the content, RSF said. RSF argues X’s refusal to act makes it complicit in spreading false information and undermining public debate.

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, looks on during the Milken Conference 2024 Global Conference Sessions in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., May 6, 2024. REUTERS/David Swanson

The NGO also shared its findings with the European Commission, which has opened formal proceedings against X for failing to comply with EU regulations.

X did not respond to Context’s request for comment before time of publication.

The lawsuit comes amid an exodus of users following the U.S. presidential election campaign, during which X owner Elon Musk vocally supported the successful Republican candidate, Donald Trump.

The Guardian newspaper, among others, said it would no longer post on X. Many users moved to competitor app BlueSky – founded by Twitter’s Jack Dorsey – which claimed to have added half a million users in one day.