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Belgian Court Fines X for Sharing Non-Consensual Videos
(MENAFN) A Belgian court on Friday ruled against X International Unlimited, the European division of the US-based social media company X, for distributing intimate images without consent.
The Brussels Criminal Court imposed a €24,000 ($27,678) fine on the company, though the verdict remains subject to appeal, according to reports.
The case centers on a six-second video clip from 2020 showing a Belgian woman being assaulted, which was shared online embedded within a longer video. The victim reported the circulation and sought help from Belgium's Institute for the Equality of Women and Men to remove it from online platforms.
Since July 2020, the institute has had the authority to provide legal support to individuals whose intimate images are shared without permission. It contacted multiple social media companies, most of which removed the footage promptly, but X delayed action.
After the institute submitted reports citing copyright violations, non-consensual distribution, and “revenge pornography” connected to a sexual offense, X reportedly closed the case without further steps. The video was ultimately taken down only following a formal order from an investigating judge.
In its defense, X argued that the reports were not sufficiently clear, claiming the content was not explicitly sexual and it was unclear whether the images were created or shared without consent.
The court ruled that distributing sexually suggestive content without consent constitutes a criminal offense, regardless of whether it was initially recorded with consent, and that the identity of the reporting party—in this case, the institute rather than the victim—is irrelevant.
X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has faced scrutiny in recent years over several incidents involving indecent or offensive content, including its chatbot Grok making antisemitic remarks and the platform allowing users to create “deepfake” obscene images without consent. Musk has dismissed such controversies as "fake news," claiming X has been unfairly targeted.
The Brussels Criminal Court imposed a €24,000 ($27,678) fine on the company, though the verdict remains subject to appeal, according to reports.
The case centers on a six-second video clip from 2020 showing a Belgian woman being assaulted, which was shared online embedded within a longer video. The victim reported the circulation and sought help from Belgium's Institute for the Equality of Women and Men to remove it from online platforms.
Since July 2020, the institute has had the authority to provide legal support to individuals whose intimate images are shared without permission. It contacted multiple social media companies, most of which removed the footage promptly, but X delayed action.
After the institute submitted reports citing copyright violations, non-consensual distribution, and “revenge pornography” connected to a sexual offense, X reportedly closed the case without further steps. The video was ultimately taken down only following a formal order from an investigating judge.
In its defense, X argued that the reports were not sufficiently clear, claiming the content was not explicitly sexual and it was unclear whether the images were created or shared without consent.
The court ruled that distributing sexually suggestive content without consent constitutes a criminal offense, regardless of whether it was initially recorded with consent, and that the identity of the reporting party—in this case, the institute rather than the victim—is irrelevant.
X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has faced scrutiny in recent years over several incidents involving indecent or offensive content, including its chatbot Grok making antisemitic remarks and the platform allowing users to create “deepfake” obscene images without consent. Musk has dismissed such controversies as "fake news," claiming X has been unfairly targeted.
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