On Monday, European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton announced that the European Union has opened formal proceedings against Elon Musk’s X over alleged violations of the Digital Services Act.
The platform is alleged to violate rules countering illegal content and disinformation, according to the BBC.
X said it was "co-operating with the regulatory process," adding in a statement that it was "important that this process remains free of political influence and follows the law."
"X is focused on creating a safe and inclusive environment for all users on our platform, while protecting freedom of expression, and we will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal."
This is the first formal proceedings launched under the Digital Services Act, which went into effect in August. The act places strict rules on big tech companies to protect users against content deemed extreme, with failure to follow the act leading to severe fines or suspension.
"Today, we opened formal proceedings against X based on several suspected infringements of the Digital Services Act," EU Commission spokesman Johannes Bahrke said.
"The opening of proceedings means that the Commission will now investigate X's systems and policies related to certain suspected infringements. It does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation."
The EU announced in October that it was investigating the platform over the possible spread of terrorist and violent content, as well as hate speech, after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
X said at the time that it had removed hundreds of accounts affiliated with Hamas.
The EU said the proceedings would focus on "the compliance with the DSA obligations related to countering the dissemination of illegal content in the EU," "the effectiveness of measures taken to combat information manipulation on the platform," "The measures taken by X to increase the transparency of its platform," and "a suspected deceptive design of the user interface."
"The opening of formal proceedings empowers the Commission to take further enforcement steps, such as interim measures, and non-compliance decisions. The Commission is also empowered to accept any commitment made by X to remedy on the matters subject to the proceeding," the EU stated.
