The European Commission said on Friday that it is intensifying its investigation into whether Elon Musk's social media network X breached EU rules on content moderation, including requests for information and orders to archive relevant documents.
The commission, which began investigating Company X in December 2023, will provide the company with internal documents by February 15 regarding its recommender system, which suggests content to users, and recent changes made to it. I asked.
In a statement, EU digital chief Hena Virkunen said, referring to the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA): “Today we will clarify whether Company X's recommender system complies with its obligations under the DSA. We will take further steps to ensure this.”
X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The European Commission earlier this week downplayed reports that it was reviewing its investigations into big tech companies, saying the investigations were continuing as usual and that President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House would affect its commitment to law enforcement. He emphasized that he had not given any.
Trump, who will be sworn in as the 47th president on Monday, has criticized various EU policies. Encouraged by his stance, other CEOs, including Meta Inc.'s Mark Zuckerberg, are seeking his help in fighting EU regulations.
Meta last week scrapped its U.S. fact-checking program, and Zuckerberg highlighted growing laws institutionalizing censorship in Europe and vowed to work with Trump to stop censorship around the world. said.
Musk, the owner of Company X and an ally of President Trump, has also repeatedly clashed with EU regulators and supported the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in next month's German general election. It has infuriated mainstream politicians in Europe by supporting Britain's right-wing Reform Party. .
Some European politicians have accused Musk of interfering in elections, including in a streamed conversation with the AfD leader.
Musk said the criticism was an affront to democracy and free speech.
The commission said that while Musk is free to express his opinions and livestream with politicians, the algorithm promotes a single argument and “shadow bans” others. He said he was assessing whether it posed a risk to the election.
The debate over free speech has focused on the EU's DSA, which aims to combat illegal content such as hate speech and election interference.
The European Commission has issued a “preservation order” requiring X to preserve internal documents and information regarding future changes to the design and functionality of the recommendation algorithm from January 17, 2025 until the end of 2025. .
It also requested access to some of the technical interfaces to X's content that would allow for content moderation and direct fact-finding regarding account virality.
“These measures will enable the Commission's work to take into account all relevant facts in complex assessments of systemic risks and their mitigation under the DSA,” the Commission said. .
