EU Expands Investigation into X Amid Musk’s Provocations – January 17, 2025

The European Commission has ramped up its investigation into social media platform X due to allegations of misinformation and public discourse manipulation. Henna Virkkunen announced measures to assess X’s compliance with the Digital Services Act, driven by concerns from European lawmakers. Elon Musk’s support for far-right politics has sparked political backlash, with the Commission demanding internal documentation and specific APIs from X. The ongoing inquiry aims to evaluate the platform’s systemic risks, with potential fines for non-compliance looming.

European Commission Expands Investigation into Social Network X

On Friday, the European Commission intensified its scrutiny of the social media platform X, amid allegations of disseminating misinformation and manipulating public discourse across Europe, particularly in light of Elon Musk’s provocative actions.

Henna Virkkunen, the European Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty, stated, “We are implementing new measures to evaluate the compliance of X’s recommendation systems with the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA).” This initiative comes as pressure mounts from Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and various member states, including France, to take decisive action against the platform’s practices.

Political Backlash and Regulatory Demands

As Germany’s elections approach at the end of February, Elon Musk has been openly supportive of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. This has drawn sharp criticism from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who accused Musk of jeopardizing democracy across Europe. “His support for far-right movements is intolerable,” remarked the Social Democratic leader.

Despite the political implications of Musk’s actions, the European Union maintains that its new measures are “independent” of his political affiliations, emphasizing the importance of freedom of expression. The Commission has requested that the U.S.-based platform submit “internal documentation on its recommendation systems and any recent modifications” by February 15. Furthermore, a “preservation order” has been issued to ensure that X retains internal documents related to future algorithm changes until at least December 31, 2025, unless the investigation concludes earlier.

The Commission has also sought access to specific commercial APIs from X, which will facilitate direct examination of content moderation and account virality. “These actions will enable the Commission to thoroughly assess the systemic risks posed by the platform and how they are being managed,” the European executive clarified in an official statement.

While the investigation has yet to yield formal accusations regarding algorithm manipulation, X faced serious allegations last July, including misleading users about verification processes, lacking transparency in advertisements, and failing to provide necessary data access to accredited researchers. Non-compliance with these issues could result in significant fines for Musk.

In the meantime, Musk is engaged in an ideological struggle against the DSA, which he criticizes as a tool for censorship. The regulation, which was fully implemented last year, aims to regulate freedom of expression in the EU, aligning with existing national laws that prohibit hate speech and the display of Nazi symbols.

Virkkunen reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to ensuring that all platforms comply with its regulations, stating, “We are resolute in enforcing our legislation across all operating platforms in the EU.” Following recent pressures from Paris, which deemed the Commission’s initial response insufficient, Clara Chappaz, the French Minister for Digital Affairs, expressed satisfaction with the Commission’s recognition of the need for rigorous DSA enforcement to safeguard democracies and electoral processes.

A discussion is set to take place on Tuesday in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, focusing on the allegations against Musk and potential responses from the Commission.

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