EU warns X over Israel-Hamas disinformation

 Watch:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxe7pgiaO7A

Social media is awash with information and graphics about the ongoing events in Israel and Gaza. There are concerns about how much of the content posted online is fake. The European Union has just opened an investigation into the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter. The EU says there is an alarming volume of posts containing false information on X. EU officials have expressed concern that X was, "being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation". X has until the end of next week to answer a series of EU questions about this content. Failure to satisfactorily address these issues could lead the EU to impose a fine on X of up to five per cent of the company's daily global turnover.

The EU probe into X comes under the Digital Services Act. This was established to monitor how large tech companies deal with the hate speech posted on their platforms, and how they police the Internet. An EU spokesperson advised X to introduce, "proportionate and effective mitigation measures" to identify and delete disinformation. He added: "We have, from qualified sources, reports about potentially illegal content circulating on X, despite flags from relevant authorities." Hundreds of bogus accounts have been flooding the Internet with harmful and inflammatory content. The CEO of X said the site had removed hundreds of these accounts. A social media expert lamented this was, "a drop in the ocean".


1. FINES: Students A strongly believe social media sites should face heavy fines if disinformation is posted on their platforms; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Explain 
2. ONLINE DANGERS: How dangerous are these things? How can we deal with them? Complete this table.

 

How Dangerous

How To Deal with It

Disinformation

 

 

Hate Speech

 

 

Cyberbullying

 

 

Phishing

 

 

Online grooming

 

 

Viruses

 

 


3. SOCIAL MEDIA: Rank these with your partner. Put the best sites at the top.

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • SnapChat
  • LinkedIn

 

4.Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1.

awash

a.

A number of events, objects, or people of a similar or related kind coming one after another.

      2.

alarming

b.

An amount or quantity of something, especially when great.

      3.

volume

c.

Worrying or disturbing.

      4.

disseminate

d.

The amount of money taken by a business in a particular period.

      5.

series

e.

Containing large numbers or amounts of someone or something.

      6.

impose

f.

Spread (something, especially information) widely.

      7.

turnover

g.

Require a duty, charge, or penalty to be undertaken or paid.

    Paragraph 2

      8.

probe

h.

The action of reducing the seriousness, or painfulness of something.

      9.

established

i.

Of speech or writing arousing or intended to arouse angry or violent feelings.

      10.

proportionate

j.

Moving continuously or freely through a closed system or area.

      11.

mitigation

k.

Set up on a permanent basis.

      12.

circulating

l.

Expressed regret or disappointment about something.

      13.

inflammatory

m.

A thorough investigation into a crime or other matter.

      14.

lamented

n.

In a way that corresponds in size or amount to something else.

5. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. awash
  2. ongoing
  3. investigation
  4. alarming
  5. turnover
  6. bogus
  7. police
  8. circulating
  9. inflammatory
  10. lamented
  1. complained about
  2. frightening
  3. continuing
  4. revenue
  5. provocative
  6. regulate
  7. flooded
  8. fake
  9. spreading
  10. inquiry

6.Role play

Role  A – Russia - Ukraine
What do you know about this conflict and if you were the highest authority in this situation, how would you decide resolve it ?

(The other students must point out all the possibilities that Role A student is wrong)

Role  B – North-South Korea 
 What do you know about this conflict and if you were the highest authority in this situation, how would you decide resolve it ?

(The other students must point out all the possibilities that Role B student is wrong)

Role  C – Yemen-Saudi Arabia
 What do you know about this conflict and if you were the highest authority in this situation, how would you decide resolve it ?

(The other students must point out all the possibilities that Role C student is wrong)

Role  D –  Morocco-Sahara
 What do you know about this conflict and if you were the highest authority in this situation, how would you decide resolve it ?

(The other students must point out all the possibilities that Role D student is wrong.

OR

Role E--Spain-Catalunya

Role F-- U.S.A. -Cuba

Role G-- U.S.A. - Iraq

Role H-- U.S.A.- U.S.S.R.

Role I-- Discuss a conflict not on this list following the same instructions as above but it can be either a conflict between countries, celebrities, a personal one etc...

7.Discussion - Online Disinformation

  1. What do you think of online disinformation?
  2. Who is posting disinformation online about Israel and Hamas?
  3. What do you know about the Israel and Hamas crisis?
  4. How can we rid the Internet of fake news?
  5. How has fake news affected our lives?
  6. What do you think of the social media platform X?
  7. What do you think leaders in the Middle East should do?
  8. What do you think will happen in the Middle East in the coming weeks?
  1. What regulations do social media platforms need?
  2. What hate speech have you seen online?
  3. How worried are you about events in Israel and Gaza?
  4. What is your advice for people in the region?
  5. How much faith do you have in the truth of what you read online?
  6. What should happen to people who post inflammatory content?
  7. What questions would you like to ask a social media boss?

 8. Agreeing and Disagreeing : 

 

The Expression

1.If you agree with someone:

 We see 

We are on the same

 ........ to ..........

 ..........

2.If you are in the same situation 

 We are on the same 

 ..........

3.If you want someone to have sympathy with your situation 

 Put yourself in my 

 ..............

4.If you are having a disagreement with someone but want to end the situation in a respectful way:

 Let's agree to

  ...............

5. If your argument with someone that you know made you stop talking to that person  

 We had a 

 ....................


6. If you want to make peace with that person

 Let's 

 .......-........

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