The European Union has initiated an investigation into social media company X for potential breaches of obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). This marks the EU’s first probe under the DSA, which came into force in November last year, compelling large online platforms to address illegal content and threats to public security more effectively.
The investigation will specifically focus on countering the dissemination of illegal content within the EU, evaluating the efficacy of measures taken, including the recently introduced “Community Notes” system. X’s “Community Notes” feature allows users to comment on posts to identify false or misleading content through crowd-sourced fact-checking.
The EU will also examine various aspects of X’s business, including data access provided to researchers. Notably, social media researchers have faced challenges accessing X, prompting cancellations, suspensions, or alterations to more than 100 studies.
While the investigation does not presume guilt, it underscores the EU’s significant grounds to scrutinize these areas in detail. X has expressed its commitment to complying with the DSA and is cooperating with the regulatory process, emphasizing the importance of a politically unbiased and lawful process.
Following attacks by Hamas on Israel in October, social media platforms, including X, encountered a surge in fake images and misleading information. EU industry chief Thierry Breton had reminded X and other platforms of their DSA obligations, prompting responses on measures taken to combat disinformation.
Elon Musk, owner of X, challenged accusations of disinformation, leading to increased scrutiny of the company. Italy’s deputy PM, Matteo Salvini, defended Musk’s stance on freedom of speech.
Our policy is that everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 10, 2023
Please list the violations you allude to on 𝕏, so that that the public can see them.
Merci beaucoup.
The EU Commission will conduct an in-depth investigation, involving additional information requests, interviews, and inspections. It will assess measures taken by X to enhance transparency and subscription services. The DSA imposes new rules on content moderation, user privacy, and transparency, with potential fines for violations reaching up to 6% of a company’s global turnover.
