The European Union has started a probe into the operations of X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk.
It suspects that the app has broken its rules on “disinformation,” a recent favorite term of governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) used to denote media that does not meet their standards of accuracy. Institutions which promote the concept desire to censor all content they deem to be disinfo. The probe also alleges that X is not following its regulations on illegal content.
The probe is the first into any online platform conducted by European authorities since the EU’s new Digital Services Act (DSA) was introduced in 2023. The Act was designed give society what it calls “greater democratic control and oversight” over online platforms, and to mitigate “risks” such as “manipulation or disinformation.” It also claims to keep children safe and protect citizens’ fundamental rights.
EU regulator Thierry Breton, the Commissioner of Internal Markets, said the formal infringement proceedings specifically concern suspicions of “breach of obligations to counter illegal content and disinformation” as well as violations of transparency and a “deceptive” interface design.
Today we open formal infringement proceedings against @X :
⚠️ Suspected breach of obligations to counter #IllegalContent and #Disinformation
⚠️ Suspected breach of #Transparency obligations
⚠️ Suspected #DeceptiveDesign of user interface#DSA pic.twitter.com/NxKIif603k
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) December 18, 2023
“The time of big online platforms behaving like they are ‘too big to care’ has come to an end,” Breton said in an extended statement. “We now have clear rules, ex ante obligations, strong oversight, speedy enforcement, and deterrent sanctions and we will make full use of our toolbox to protect our citizens and democracies.”
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The European Commission made the announcement in a statement on Monday, and said the relevant government bodies will continue to collect evidence on the alleged violations. Regulators will soon be empowered to take action against the company. Heavy financial penalties can be incurred if X fails to prove itself in court, and could potentially get banned by the political bloc if violations persist.
Meanwhile, X insists on its obedience to all laws. “X remains committed to complying with the Digital Services Act, and is cooperating with the regulatory process,” X spokesperson Joe Benarroch said. “It is important that this process remains free of political influence and follows the law.”
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