Former Twitter
“Dissemination of illegal content”: EU Commission opens proceedings against online service X
The short message service X had already been warned by Brussels in October for spreading false information in connection with the war in the Middle East
© Kirill Kudryavtsev / AFP
The former Twitter platform X has long been criticized for the spread of hate speech and misinformation. Now the EU Commission is getting serious – and initiates the first formal steps against Elon Musk’s company.
Because of the spread of false information, the The EU Commission has opened formal proceedings against the online service X (formerly Twitter). Among other things, the authority is investigating the “dissemination of illegal content” under the Digital Services Act – DSA), the Commission announced on Monday. The US company did not provide satisfactory answers to a request for information from Brussels.
According to its own statements, the commission also wants to check whether the so-called blue ticks on the platform can have a “deceptive” effect. Owner Elon Musk introduced a subscription model on X with which users can buy the blue tick. The hook had previously indicated the authenticity of the profiles of institutions and celebrities. The Commission also suspects that X is not releasing sufficient data about advertisements on the platform.
According to the EU, X has the largest share of false information
Brussels had already warned X in October for spreading false information in connection with the war between Israel and Hamas. Under the DSA, which came into force at the end of August, large internet companies are obliged, among other things, to take action against disinformation on their platforms. According to a study by the EU Commission, X has the largest proportion of such false information. Critics accuse owner Elon Musk of having sharply scaled back content moderation and cracking down on hate speech and misinformation since taking over Twitter last year.