Elon Musk’s X Being Investigated By European Union Over Disinformation & Transparency

deadline.com:

Elon Musk‘s X could become the first platform to fall foul of the European Union‘s new Digital Services Act. Ironically taking to X (formerly Twitter) this afternoon, European Union Digital Commissioner Thierry Breton set out X’s alleged infringements, which include “suspected breach of obligations to counter illegal content and disinformation, suspected breach of transparency obligations and suspected deceptive design of user interface.” Breton posted the official document on his X timeline. “The opening of proceedings means that the Commission will now investigate X’s systems and policies related to certain suspected infringements.

It does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation,” an EU Commission spokesman told the BBC. In response, a statement from Musk’s platform said that it is focused on creating a “safe and inclusive environment for all users on our platform, while protecting freedom of expression, and we will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal.” The social media platform, which Musk acquired last year for $43B, stressed the importance of the process remaining “free of political influence and following the law.” The EU’s move had been brewing.

The Digital Services Act came into force several months ago, placing extra obligations on major companies to protect users against extreme content, with fines and suspensions in the bloc both a possibility if the likes of X, Meta and Google fall foul.

X left the EU’s code of practice which ensured social media platforms got ready in time to operate within the confines of the new laws, but the EU had been clear that the new laws will still apply to the tech giant.