Media companies leaving X 'a symbol of failure by authorities to regulate platforms'
The departure of major newspapers from the social network X, accusing the platform of spreading disinformation, is a symptom of the failure of democracies to regulate internet platforms, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) told AFP on Friday.
British daily The Guardian and Spanish daily La Vanguardia announced this week that they would no longer publish content on X, which is owned by US billionaire Elon Musk and which they claim has become a “toxic media platform” for disinformation.
Vincent Berthier, head of the technology department at RSF, a French NGO that defends the press, told AFP: “This is a symptom of a much deeper problem: the inability of public authorities to make platforms viable places that respect journalistic information and where information can circulate freely.”
Global problem
A fervent supporter of US president-elect Donald Trump, who this week appointed him to lead a new commission tasked with slashing public spending, Musk is frequently accused of encouraging misinformation on X, where he poses as an adversary of the traditional media.
“Musk is the radical face of this information nightmare that exists on platforms, but the problem is much more global,” Berthier said.
He cited the example of Canada, where Meta – the owner of Facebook and Instagram – has been blocking access to media news content on its platforms since August 2023, in response to a law on online information. This is taking place “with almost general indifference”, he said.
The EU's Digital Services Act “has not had much effect”, he added.
Meanwhile, the social network Bluesky, which claims to be an alternative to X, announced on Friday that it had registered 1 million new users in one day, as people turn away from Musk's platform.
"It's official - 1,000,000 people have joined Bluesky in the last day! Welcome and thank you for being here," said the platform in a message posted on both Bluesky and X.
© PHOTO ANDRE M. CHANG/ZUMA PRESS WIRE
Related news
