The European Union is set to issue a formal warning to Elon Musk’s social media platform X for not adequately addressing harmful content.
The action against X could result in a fine of up to 6% of the platform’s revenue if X does not address the European Commission’s – the bloc’s regulator – findings. Thierry Breton, Internal Market Commissioner at the EU, is planning to announce the escalation before the EU’s summer recess, reports Bloomberg.
If X fails to address the Commission’s preliminary findings and make the necessary changes, a formal decision could be reached before the end of the year, which could result in the fines being levied.
This is the next step in the ongoing investigation by the Commission that was opened in December. The investigation is looking into how platforms, including X, Meta, AliExpress, and TikTok, handled content after the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.
EU takes action against Elon Musk under DSA
The commission has confirmed that proceedings against X are ongoing, with no specified deadlines for the next steps. X has not yet commented on the situation.
The enforcement is part of the EU’s broader efforts under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which target major online platforms. The DSA, effective since last August, mandates social media platforms, online marketplaces, and app stores to manage misinformation and harmful content, including hate speech and terrorist propaganda
The DMA, which came into effect in March, imposes regulations to prevent abusive practices and market domination by big tech firms. Recently, the EU has also issued formal warnings to Apple, which may delay the introduction of their AI features in the European Union as a result; and Meta over their “pay or consent” model.
Featured image credit: generated with Ideogram
