Elon Musk’s X Faces EU Investigation

The European Union has formally announced that it suspects X, previously known as Twitter, of breaching its rules in areas including countering illegal content and disinformation.

Elon Musk’

Thierry Breton, digital commissioner,  set out the alleged infringements in a post on the social media platform.

He said X, which is owned by Elon Musk, was also suspected of breaching its obligations on transparency

X said it was “co-operating with the regulatory process.”

In a statement, the firm said it was “important that this process remain free of political influence and follow the law.”

X is focused on creating a safe and inclusive environment for all users on our platform while protecting freedom of expression, and we will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal, it added.

These are the first formal proceedings launched under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the tough new rules for big tech firms the EU has introduced.

The DSA places extra obligations on major companies to protect users against extreme content. If they fail to do so they can face enormous fines or be suspended.

Johannes Bahrke, EU Commission spokesman said the commission has opened formal proceedings against X based on several suspected infringements of the Digital Services Act.

In October the EU said it was investigating X over the possible spread of terrorist and violent content, and hate speech, after Hamas’ attack on Israel.

It allows contributors to comment on the accuracy of posts, with the company considering it a bulwark against disinformation.

However, concerns about the nature of the content appearing on X have intensified since it was bought by Elon Musk—in part because he laid off many of its moderators—with the European Commission previously warning it had the biggest disinformation problem of any major platform.