EU Initiates DSA Investigation Into X Over Suspected Breach of Obligations

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Published: December 18, 2023 at 8:50 am Updated: December 18, 2023 at 8:50 am

Edited and fact-checked:
December 18, 2023 at 8:50 am

In Brief

The EU plans to initiate an investigation into X (Twitter) over suspected breaches of obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

EU Initiates DSA Investigation Into X Over Suspected Breach of Obligations

The European Union announced plans to initiate an investigation into social media company X (formerly Twitter) over suspected breaches of obligations, marking the EU’s first investigation under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The investigation will specifically address the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, evaluating the effectiveness of X’s measures to combat information manipulation, particularly concerning the “community notes” system.

Additionally, investigation will focus on X‘s efforts to enhance platform transparency and a suspected deceptive design of the user interface, such as checkmarks linked to subscription products.

The commission stated its commitment to conducting an in-depth investigation promptly, gathering evidence through additional requests for information, interviews, and inspections.

The DSA, which entered into force in November of the previous year, mandates that very large online platforms and search engines take more comprehensive actions to address illegal content, public security risks and safeguard their services against manipulative techniques.

Under the DSA, companies found in violation could face fines of up to 6% of their global turnover.

EU Investigates Major Tech Platforms

After the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October, EU industry chief Thierry Breton sent letters to X, Meta, TikTok and Alphabet, reminding them of their obligations under the DSA to address harmful and illegal content.

The platforms promptly responded to Breton, highlighting the measures they have taken to combat disinformation on their platforms. However, Elon Musk challenged Breton on the disinformation charge. Only X received a formal request for information under the DSA and has responded to the request.

In another recent incident, X faced a complaint from a privacy activist Max Schrems, who claimed that the social media platform violated EU rules by improperly leveraging individuals’ political views and religious beliefs for targeted advertising.

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About The Author

Alisa is a reporter for the Metaverse Post. She focuses on investments, AI, metaverse, and everything related to Web3. Alisa has a degree in Business of Art and expertise in Art & Tech. She has developed her passion for journalism through writing for VCs, notable crypto projects, and engagement with scientific writing.

Alisa Davidson