Elon Musk's X under investigation by EU over controversial content

The European Union has initiated a formal inquiry into X regarding its management of content, this investigation could result in significant fines or sanctions according to a new law passed by the EU.

The European Commission's comprehensive assessment of the company, previously known as Twitter, encompasses various issues such as its handling of content related to the Israel-Hamas conflict and its recent introduction of a paid verification system under the ownership of Elon Musk, which EU officials have labeled as a "potentially misleading implementation."

The investigation will also examine X's Community Notes crowdsourced fact-checking program to determine its effectiveness in combating misinformation surrounding "civic discourse and electoral processes," according to a statement from the European Commission.

"Today we are initiating official infringement proceedings against @X," announced Thierry Breton, a prominent European commissioner for digital regulation, in a social media post.

The conduct of X is currently under investigation by EU officials to determine if it violated the newly implemented Digital Services Act (DSA) for large online services. If found guilty, X could potentially face fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenues.

The EU has announced that investigators will assess whether X has failed to fulfill legal obligations in combating illegal content and disinformation. Additionally, they will examine whether X has provided adequate access to company data for independent researchers to comply with the DSAs transparency rules.

Scholars specializing in extremism and misinformation have strongly opposed X's imposition of "outrageously expensive" fees for data access. These fees have also raised concerns about disruption of public service updates on the platform until a government accounts exception was granted by Musk.

The EU's formal investigation follows European officials' inquiries into X earlier this fall, prompted by worries about the presence of Hamas-affiliated accounts on the platform after the terror group's attacks on Israel on October 7. Breton has been cautioning X and other social media platforms for months that the EU will closely monitor their legal compliance.

During a meeting with Breton in May, Musk had shown support for the new European regulations, before buying Twitter for $44 billion. When asked for comment on Monday's announcement, X directed CNN to a company post on the platform, promising to cooperate with the investigation and reaffirming their commitment to DSA compliance.

X emphasized the importance of ensuring that this process remains free from political influence and adheres to the law. They are dedicated to establishing a safe and inclusive environment for all platform users, while also safeguarding freedom of expression. X stated that they will persistently work towards achieving this objective.