EU investigates X, formerly Twitter

Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer

December 20, 2023 – Large social media companies are no longer too big to police according to the European Union and X (formerly Twitter) will be the first company put under the microscope as the European Commission has begun a formal probe.

The Commission is investigating X to ascertain whether it breached the newly minted Digital Services Act (DSA).

The investigation was launched after a transparency report published by X, and the caliber of responses that were given to the EC when they requested information.  The European Commission will investigate:

• Whether X carried out its obligations related to countering the dissemination of illegal content in the EU;

• Shortcomings in giving researchers access to X’s publicly accessible data;
• A suspected deceptive design of the user interface, notably in relation to checkmarks linked to certain subscription products and;

• The effectiveness of measures taken to combat information manipulation notably the effectiveness of X’s so-called ‘Community Notes’ system. The community notes feature allows users to comment on a post with what should be factual information in an attempt to combat misinformation.

Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market said “Today’s opening of formal proceedings against X makes it clear that, with the DSA, the time of big online platforms behaving like they are “too big to care” has come to an end. We now have clear rules, ex-ante obligations, strong oversight, speedy enforcement, and deterrent sanctions and we will make full use of our toolbox to protect our citizens and democracies.”

If found guilty, X could be banned from operating in the EU or fined a sum of its annual income.

The investigation was launched on Monday, December 18.