Credit: Osmancan Gurdogan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Despite X CEO Linda Yaccarino’s assurances, the European Commission (EU) isn’t convinced that the company has adequately addressed hate speech, violent content, and disinformation on the platform.
The EU has formally requested X to provide information as part of its inquiry into alleged infractions of the Digital Services Act (DSA). This law designates big-tech companies with millions of users, such as Google, Meta, and X, as “Very Large Online Platforms,” making them legally responsible for the content posted on their platforms.
According to the European Commission’s statement, “This request follows indications received by the Commission services of the alleged spreading of illegal content and disinformation, in particular the spreading of terrorist and violent content and hate speech.” It also mentioned that X’s compliance with the DSA, including its policies and actions regarding illegal content, is under investigation.
The EU’s Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, previously warned X owner Elon Musk about potential EU law violations due to widespread disinformation, hate speech, and violent content across the platform, notably exacerbated by the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Following the warning, Musk replied on X, challenging the European official to publicly debate the company’s alleged violations. Yaccarino, Musk’s appointed CEO, responded by outlining X’s efforts to address the influx of potentially unlawful content.
While claiming to have removed “tens of thousands of pieces of content,” Yaccarino’s response also highlighted X’s heavy reliance on its Community Notes feature for moderation, where users add context to each other’s posts, which is then rated by the community to determine display status.
Yaccarino acknowledged the delay in adding notes to posts and stated that X has been working to speed up the Community Notes process, with context now typically added within five hours of a post’s publication.
If X is found to be violating the DSA, the EU could impose fines as steep as 6 percent of the company’s global revenue. X has been given until Oct. 18 to provide the European Commission with information regarding its “crisis response protocol” and until the end of the month to fully address the entire request.
As the investigation unfolds, the EU will decide whether to initiate formal proceedings under the DSA.
Topics
Social Media
Twitter
Elon Musk
Politics
