Reporters Without Borders (RSF) <a target="_blank" data-i13n="elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1" class="link " href="https://rsf.org/en/rsf-presses-criminal-charges-against-x-formerly-twitter-its-participation-identity-theft-and” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank” data-ylk=”slk:said;elm:context_link;elmt:doNotAffiliate;cpos:1;pos:1;itc:0;sec:content-canvas”>saying This week he is filing criminal charges against x (twitter) in France related to a Kremlin disinformation campaign that used the nonprofit as leverage to spread fake news. The organization said legal means are its “last resort” in its fight against false stories, designed to foment pro-Russia and anti-Ukraine sentiment, that have festered on the platform. “x's refusal to remove content that he knows to be false and misleading, as duly reported by RSF, makes him complicit in the spread of disinformation circulating on his platform,” RSF's advocacy director said in a statement. , Antoine Bernard.
“These legal proceedings seek to remind according to the law. French Penal Code,” wrote RSF lawyer Emmanuel Daoud.
RSF published research in September detailing how Russia placed and spread a fabricated video on the social platform owned by Elon Musk. The fake clip was made to look like one produced by the BBC, including the news organization's logo. He wrongly argued that RSF conducted a study that revealed that a large number of Ukrainian soldiers sympathized with Nazism.
False claims that Ukraine is a pro-Nazi nation have been a common propaganda tactic. used by Russia since their 2022 invasion. The narrative is designed to generate support for the war started by the Kremlin, which is My dear having killed a million or more Ukrainians.
RSF's investigation revealed that an account called “Patricia”, claiming to be a translator in France, planted the seed of disinformation. However, the report found that the account's profile photo was found on a Russian website that displayed photographs of blonde women designed “to make avatars.”
RSF says that even the name of the account appeared to have been automatically generated by strong, often in favor of Russia. and Vladimir Putin, while severely criticizing Ukraine and its supporters in Europe.”
The investigation found that the video then took off, spreading through a chain that included a pro-Kremlin Irish businessman living in Russia, a Kremlin propagandist with a large Telegram following and even Russian officials. It was also shared by “very influential bloggers” known for their unwavering support for Vladimir Putin.
“In this story, the Russian authorities have acted a bit as if they were laundering dirty information,” an RSF representative said in a statement. video on the investigation (translated from French) in September. “They took false information, they laundered it through official channels. And then this information that was not real was reintroduced into public discourse to make it seem credible.”
The fake Russia video was widely shared on x and Telegram. Reporters Without Borders says the clip's viewership reached half a million combined views on September 13. To express its frustration at the hit to its credibility, the nonprofit cited the quote (of unknown origin but often attributed to Mark Twain): “A lie can travel to the other side of the world while the truth is still being laid.” the shoes.”
RSF says it filed 10 x complaints of illegal content through the social channel reporting system required by the EU Digital Services Act (DSA). “After a series of rejections by x and requests for additional information, which RSF provided, none of the reports resulted in the removal of the defamatory content directed at our organization and its advocacy director,” RSF wrote.
In July, the US Department of Justice saying uncovered and dismantled a Russian propaganda network that used nearly 1,000 accounts to push pro-Kremlin posts on In October, The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk had multiple private calls with Vladimir Putin from 2022 until this year, describing the contacts as a “closely kept secret in the government.”
“x's refusal to remove content that he knows to be false and misleading – as duly reported by RSF – makes him complicit in the spread of disinformation circulating on his platform,” RSF director Bernard wrote in a release. “x provides those who spread falsehoods and manipulate public opinion with a powerful arsenal of tools and unparalleled visibility, while guaranteeing perpetrators complete impunity. It's time for x to be held accountable. “Pressing criminal charges is the last resort against the disinformation and war propaganda of which RSF has been a victim and which is proliferating in this ‘Muskian’ network.”
