The European Commission has rolled up its sleeves and is taking aim at online platform X, previously known as Twitter, in the bustling city of Brussels. This isn't just a friendly tussle; it's a serious investigation into potential breaches of EU rules, including risk management, content moderation, advertising transparency, and data access for researchers.
Starting from the electoral front, the Commission has expressed concern over X's seemingly lax approach to electoral risks, particularly in regional or linguistic contexts. The Community Notes system, their main tool for addressing such issues, isn't robust enough to squash these risks, as the Commission sees it. Moreover, issues arise when it comes to assessing potential terrorist and violent content, hate speech, and the freedom of speech versus reach system.
Furthermore, the Commission has its sights on X's advertising transparency. They claim that the platform isn't clear enough about political advertisements and sponsored content, which is a no-no in their books.
On the data front, the Berlin Regional Court II ruled that X must grant immediate and unrestricted access to all publicly available data to Democracy Reporting International (DRI). This, stemming from a lawsuit filed by DRI, alleges breaches of the EU's GDPR and related regulations.
And let's not forget about the formal proceedings the Commission opened against X in December 2023. These investigations delve deep into X's policies and procedures, focusing on transparency, content moderation, and risk mitigation during elections.
Lastly, French regulators are conducting an investigation into X's algorithms. The concern here is that these algorithms might be amplifying harmful content, including hate speech and disinformation, or breaching European data protection laws. If found guilty, X could face hefty fines.
X, however, is the only major online platform that refuses to comply with the EU's voluntary commitments on disinformation, formalized under the DSA. They made this decision after Elon Musk took over the company in 2022. But the integration of the disinformation code into the DSA will make it easier for the Commission to evaluate compliance, though it presumes no innocence.
