Elon Musk’s X Faces First European Union Probe Since New Disinformation Rules Came Into Effect
The European Union took the first formal steps against Elon Musk's X over allegedly breaking rules on how it handled illegal content and disinformation, in the first such probe of a major online platform since the bloc's Digital Services Act came into force this year.
Regulators opened formal infringement proceedings against X, two months after warning the company formerly known as Twitter over how it handled harmful content on its site, the European Commission said in a statement on Monday. Regulators will continue to gather evidence on violations and will be empowered to take enforcement steps, it said.
“X remains committed to complying with the Digital Services Act, and is cooperating with the regulatory process,” X spokesperson Joe Benarroch said by email. “It is important that this process remains free of political influence and follows the law.”
The case marks a major test of the bloc's ability to enforce rules on US social media giants including X, Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc. as it seeks to rein in the power of Silicon Valley and establish Brussels as the world's premier tech regulator. The DSA threatens hefty fines or even a ban from the EU for repeated violations.
X is being probed because it's suspected of not following transparency obligations and having a user interface with a deceptive design, Internal Markets Commissioner Thierry Breton posted on Monday.
“The time of big online platforms behaving like they are ‘too big to care' has come to an end,” Breton said in a 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.”
The DSA gives regulators new
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