Brussels launched an “official investigation” into the social network on Monday
• Also read: Meta launches a customized version of its social network Threads in the EU
• Also read: Tesla is recalling two million vehicles due to risks associated with assisted driving
• Also read: Elon Musk reinstates conspiracy theorist Alex Jones at X
Provided
The list of complaints is long and subject to careful scrutiny: low number of moderators, ineffective reporting of illegal content, inadequate warnings about violent images, unsatisfactory regulator access to X's data.
Also pinned are the blue stickers placed on certain accounts, which are likely to mislead Internet users into believing that they are certified identities. Or the notes added by the user community to re-contextualize information but appear too rare in certain languages.
“The days when large online platforms behaved as if they were too big to care about the rules are over,” said EU Digital Commissioner Thierry Breton, emphasizing that the new legislation now allows “ to protect our citizens and our democracies.” .
X promises cooperation
X said on Monday it remained “committed to compliance” and promised cooperation. “It is important that this process remains free of political influence,” he emphasized in a message published on the platform.
The DSA does not prescribe what constitutes illegal content, a term largely defined by national laws or other European texts. However, it requires compliance with a number of obligations, such as: B. the “immediate” removal of content reported as illegal or the blocking of users who regularly defy bans.
The European Commission had already announced on October 12, five days after the Hamas attacks, the opening of a preliminary investigation on the subject of “false information”, “violent and terrorist content” and “hate speech” against billionaire Elon Musk's social network in Israel.
This first step consisted of a request for information to verify the platform's compliance with its commitments.
The American company's answers, as well as its “transparency report” published at the beginning of November to take stock of its moderation tools, did not convince the European executive, which is now equipped with control and sanction powers.
The DSA provides for fines of up to 6% of the group's global turnover. In the event of serious and repeated violations, a platform may even be banned from operating in the EU.
“Collect evidence”
By initiating the “formal” procedure, the Commission stated that it would continue to “gather evidence” by requesting new information from X, conducting interviews or carrying out inspections.
In this context, the Commission may take measures to force X to comply with the rules or accept possible remedies proposed by the platform.
No deadline has been set for the ongoing investigation. Thierry Breton emphasized that the focus will be particularly on “the spread and amplification of illegal content and disinformation”.
As part of the DSA, various investigations on various topics have already been initiated against Apple, Google, Meta (Facebook, Instagram), TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Amazon. But the proceedings initiated against X on Monday are unprecedented and highlight the European regulator's specific concerns about this.
Brussels was already concerned at the end of September about the rate of misinformation on X, citing particularly poor results in tests on multiple platforms.
After buying Twitter last year, Elon Musk led a massive wave of layoffs that decimated its moderation teams. He regularly reiterates his vision of freedom of expression and rejects any “censorship”, even as he assures that he respects the laws of each country.
In November, the European Commission asked its services to halt their advertising campaigns on