The European Union is launching proceedings against platform X, formerly known as Twitter, for suspected violations of EU laws on disinformation, illegal content and transparency, the European Commission said.
The decision to launch formal proceedings against the company, which is owned by US billionaire Elon Musk, comes weeks after X was called to provide evidence of compliance with new laws aimed at eliminating hate speech, racism and fake news from platforms in the EU.
Under the Digital Services Act, which came into effect in August, a company can be fined 6% of its global revenue or banned from operating across the EU if it is found to have broken the law.
Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner in charge of DSA enforcement, confirmed the investigation in a post on Musk’s platform.
“Today we are opening formal proceedings against X,” he wrote, noting that it is being done because of “suspected violations of obligations to combat illegal content and disinformation; suspected violations of transparency obligations and suspicions of misleading user interface design.”
The “deceptive design” investigation relates to the use of “blue tags” which are now only available to those who pay. Before Musk, Twitter awarded blue badges to verified users in the public, including officials and celebrities.
In June, after a meeting with Breton in California, Musk insisted he would abide by the law.
However, critics of Musk’s platform have decried the alleged presence of fake news and hate speech on X, particularly since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent bombing of Gaza.
On October 1, the EU sent a formal letter to X due to “indications” that the platform was “being used to spread illegal content and disinformation in the EU” following the Hamas attack on Israel.
In response, Linda Yaccarino, X’s CEO, wrote to Breton that the company is “actively working to meet the operational needs of this rapidly evolving conflict.”
“X is committed to serving the public conversation, especially at critical times 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 organizations or violent extremist groups, and we continue to remove such accounts in real time, including proactive efforts,” she said.
The European Commission’s announcement states that the decision to initiate proceedings against X was made on the basis of a “preliminary investigation”, which allegedly refers to “the dissemination of illegal content in the context of terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel”.
It said the process would focus on the operation of a notice-and-action mechanism for illegal content, which includes legal orders from the police or other EU authorities to remove content within one hour.
It will also examine the effectiveness of X’s “community notes”, which allow the public to comment on the veracity or legality of posts.
Earlier this year, Facebook, TikTok and tech giants Google and Microsoft joined a code of conduct set by the EU to prepare for new laws in the DSA.
However, in May Twitter abandoned the code of conduct, prompting a warning from Breton that “you can run, but you can’t hide”.
“Through voluntary commitments, the fight against disinformation will be a legal obligation under the DSA from August 25. Our teams will be ready to implement it,” he said, Klix.ba reports.
