X, formerly known as Twitter, is currently under investigation by the European Commission for suspected violations of EU laws related to hate speech and fake news. The social media platform, owned by US billionaire Elon Musk, is facing formal infringement proceedings for alleged breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into effect in August. The DSA allows for fines up to 6% of global income or potential bans on operating across the EU for companies found to have violated the law.
The investigation, confirmed by EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, is based on several grounds, including a suspected breach of obligations to counter illegal content and disinformation, transparency violations, and a suspected deceptive design of the user interface. The inquiry into "deceptive design" focuses on the use of "blue check" marks, which were previously granted by Twitter to verified public figures but are now only available to those who pay.
The investigation was initiated following concerns about X's compliance with new laws aimed at eliminating hate speech, racism, and fake news from EU platforms. Critics of X, especially since the conflict between Hamas and Israel in October, have condemned the alleged presence of fake news and hate speech on the platform.
The EU's decision to launch proceedings is based on a preliminary investigation into the dissemination of illegal content in the context of the conflict between Hamas and Israel. The European Commission is also looking into whether search algorithms on X boost blue tick accounts and spread content that users might mistake for verified sources.
Additionally, concerns have been raised about X's insufficient investment in compliance in European languages, with reports suggesting it has only one content moderator in the Netherlands. The EU officials mentioned the possibility of issuing new guidance to all social platforms ahead of the next EU parliamentary elections.
As the investigation unfolds, the European Commission stated that there is no specific timeline for the proceedings, and interim measures may be applied if deemed appropriate. Even if X were to withdraw its services from the EU, the legal action would still apply, according to EU officials.
The focus of the investigation includes examining the functionality of the notice and action mechanism for illegal content and assessing the effectiveness of X's "community notes," which allow the public to comment on the veracity or legality of posts.
It's worth noting that earlier this year, Twitter left the code of conduct agreed upon by Facebook, TikTok, Google, Microsoft, and others in preparation for the new laws outlined in the DSA. EU Commissioner Breton warned that compliance with combating disinformation would become a legal obligation under the DSA, emphasizing the readiness of enforcement teams.
Comments