The European Commission has strengthened its measures against Elon Musk’s platform X, demanding insight into internal documents on algorithms. According to the Brussels-based authority, X must freeze and retain all relevant data.
A Commission spokesperson stated that the platform will be instructed to “reveal all recent changes to its algorithms.”
These documents must be submitted by February 15. Moreover, X is expected to grant access to certain programming interfaces to facilitate ongoing research.
The investigations are based on potential violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). EU Commissioner Henna Virkkunen emphasized, “We want to ensure a fair, safe, and democratic online environment. This includes examining systemic risks at large platforms.”
The DSA is one of the EU’s most stringent legal measures against internet giants. Platforms that fail to comply may face fines of up to six percent of their global annual turnover, with repeated offenses potentially leading to daily penalties.
Musk’s political engagement has raised concerns, particularly his live support for AfD’s Alice Weidel and his criticism of European politicians like Olaf Scholz and Frank-Walter Steinmeier in a series of posts.
The EU is worried about Musk’s influence on the upcoming German federal elections in February and other upcoming European elections.
Meta, Mark Zuckerberg’s company, is also in the spotlight, with the termination of its cooperation with fact-checkers in the US raising similar questions about the role of large platforms in the dissemination of information.
The EU remains committed to its course, with a firm stance on pursuing rule-breaking by large tech companies.