EU Accuses X of Violating Digital Content Rules

0:00

/1861

1×

Facts

• On Friday, the EU technology watchdog preliminarily ruled that social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, was running afoul of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which could lead to fines or penalties against the company.¹
• In particular, the ability to purchase X verification was found to have made it difficult for users to gauge the 'authenticity' of accounts and content. The European Commission also said it found evidence of 'malicious actors' abusing the new verification system.²
• The probe also found that X lacks a functioning advertising repository, fails to give researchers sufficient access to data, and is not transparent. X can submit a formal response to the allegations before any potential penalty or final ruling.³
• These preliminary findings are the culmination of a probe that began in December. Another investigation into alleged illegal content and disinformation on X is still ongoing.¹
• In response to the allegations, Musk said that the watchdog had proposed a deal that would see the platform escape any fines in exchange for censoring speech — a claim that European Commissioner chief Thierry Breton denied.¹
• The DSA covers 25 'very large' online platforms, including X and TikTok, which are defined as having more than 45M users in the EU. Online platforms covered by the DSA can be hit with fines up to 6% of their worldwide annual turnover.⁴

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²BBC News, ³Euronews and ⁴RTE.ie.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by CNN. Elon Musk's ownership of X has been a disaster, as the company hemorrhages money and attracts unwanted attention from regulators at home and abroad. The changes Musk has brought to the platform have made the experience worse and harmed users, and the EU is finally stepping in to hold the platform to account for this.
• Narrative B, as provided by Reason.com. The EU's digital regulations have proven to be a nightmare for anyone who cares about free expression on the internet. The DSA opens the door to state control of information under a protective guise, and X was one of the first platforms to take a stand against this. The EU is penalizing X for not taking part in its censorship regime, as Musk is a vocal DSA critic.

Predictions