EU officials warn TikTok over Israel-Hamas disinformation

By Brian Fung, CNN

(CNN) — EU officials warned TikTok Thursday about “illegal content and disinformation” on its platform linked to the war between Hamas and Israel, calling for CEO Shou Zi Chew to respond within 24 hours.

In a letter to Chew, European Commissioner Thierry Breton said failure to comply with European Union laws around content moderation could result in penalties.

It is the third such letter Breton has sent to large social media platforms this week, after he sent similar warnings to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, and Meta.

In August, a recently passed EU law known as the Digital Services Act went into effect for large online platforms including the companies Breton addressed this week. The law sets out specific obligations for social media companies to protect user privacy and safety.

Since the war began, Breton wrote, TikTok has reportedly spread graphic videos and misleading content on the platform.

“I therefore invite you to urgently step up your efforts and ensure your systems are effective, and report on the crisis measures taken to my team,” Breton wrote in the letter, which he shared on X.

TikTok didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

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