For the first time in the EU, an investigation into disinformation has been launched Elon Musk’s X/Twitter was in the crosshairs
The new Law on Digital Services contains strict requirements for verification of content on social networks and provides for fines of up to 6% of annual revenue for violating companies.
Elon Musk’s X/Twitter has become the first social network to face an EU investigation under the new legislation. Two months ago, the company received a warning for spreading disinformation about Israel and Hamas, and now regulators have begun collecting evidence and have been authorized to “take enforcement action” if violations are confirmed.
“X remains committed to complying with the Digital Services Act and is cooperating with the regulatory process,” said X spokesman Joe Benarrok. “It is important that this process remains free from political influence and complies with the law.”
The EU Digital Services Act has given regulators new powers, including the ability to take action against tech companies if they do not do a good enough job of checking the content distributed on platforms. In the end, violations can result in a fine of up to 6% of annual income, or even a loss of employment in the blockchain (although Musk seems to have already thought about leaving).
According to Apptopia, Europe accounts for about 9% of the global base of monthly active X users, although daily usage has dropped significantly over the past three months, from 10% to 40% across the region.
Commissioner Thierry Breton wrote on X that the social network is suspected of failing to comply with transparency obligations and creating an interface with a misleading design.
“The time for big online platforms to act like they are ‘too big to care’ has come to an end,” Breton said in a statement. “We now have clear rules, prior commitments, strong oversight, swift enforcement and deterrent sanctions, and we will fully utilize our toolkit to protect our citizens and democracies.”
The Commission particularly draws attention to the misleading nature of the company’s blue-tick verification system and the effectiveness of community notes. The investigation will also look at X’s resources for content moderation and the access the company provides to scientists and researchers.
