The European Commission has ordered investigation against ‘X’, social media platform, owned by US billionaire Elon Musk for allegedly breaking EU law on disinformation, illegal content and transparency.
The legal proceedings are launched against X, formally known as Twitter, after being asked to provide evidence of compliance with new laws designed to eliminate hate speech, racism and fake news from platforms in the EU.
Under the Digital Services Act, which became effective in August, the legislation empowers regulatory authorities to impose fines amounting to 6% of a company’s global income or to potentially bar the company from operating within the EU if it is found to have breached the law.
Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner in charge of enforcing the DSA, confirmed the news of investigation in a spcial media post on X.
“Today we open formal infringement proceedings against @X,” wrote Breton, adding that the investigation move was on the grounds of “suspected breach of obligations to counter illegal content and disinformation; suspected breach of transparency obligations and suspected deceptive design of user interface”.
The inquiry into “deceptive design” revolves around the allocation of “blue check” marks, which are currently accessible only to individuals who make a payment. Before Elon Musk took over the platform, Twitter only allowed blue ticks to verified users who were public figures, such as ministers and celebrities.
Earlier in June, Musk insisted that he would comply with the law during a meeting with Breton in California.
According to reports, since after the Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7th October and following devastations in Gaza by Israel, critics of X have condemned the alleged presence of fake news and hate speech on the platform.
The EU sent a formal letter in early October to X over “indications” that the platform was “being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU” in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel.
In response to that, Linda Yaccarino, the chief executive of X, wrote to Breton, saying the company was “actively working to address the operational needs of this fast-moving and evolving conflict”.
“X is committed to serving the public conversation, especially in critical moments like this, and understands the importance of addressing any illegal content that may be disseminated through the platform. There is no place on X for terrorist organisations or violent extremist groups and we continue to remove such accounts in real time, including proactive efforts,” she said.
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