X faces action under the EU’s Digital Services Act 

The EU has accused X of violating some of its rules in areas like countering illegal content, disinformation, and transparency. 

In a post, Digital Commissioner Thierry Breton said:

“Today we open formal infringement proceedings against @X: 

• Suspected breach of obligations to counter #IllegalContent and #Disinformation
• Suspected breach of #Transparency obligations 
•  Suspected #DeceptiveDesign of user interface”

These are the first formal proceedings under the new Digital Services Act (DSA), a set of strict regulations introduced by the EU in 2022 for major tech companies.

The DSA aims to address some of the risks that come with the internet. It includes new rules for companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon, such as preventing illegal content, reducing hate speech, providing more information on content moderation and algorithms, and stopping some types of targeted ads. 

Major companies failing to protect users from extreme content under the DSA can face large fines or, in more extreme cases, could even mean suspension.

The EU had previously launched an investigation into X in October, focusing on the terrorist and violent content and hate speech following an attack by Hamas on Israel. X claimed to have removed numerous Hamas-affiliated accounts in response.

The EU stated that it would assess the effectiveness of X’s “Community Notes” system, allowing contributors to comment on post accuracy, considered by the company as a defense against disinformation. 

In a statement, X said it was “cooperating with the regulatory process” and that it’s “important that this process remains free of political influence and follows the law”.

The statement continued to say, “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.”

EU Commission spokesman Johannes Bahrke added: “Today, we opened formal proceedings against X based on several suspected infringements of the Digital Services Act. The opening of proceedings means that the Commission will now investigate X’s systems and policies related to certain suspected infringements. It does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.”