The European Union has opened an investigation into Platform X (formerly Twitter) for alleged violations of the Digital Services Act, as European Commissioner for Internal Trade and Services Thierry Breton informed.
The Digital Services Act requires major online platforms and search engines to strengthen their fight against illegal content and risks to public safety, as well as to protect against online manipulation. Any company that violates the rules faces a fine of up to 6% of its global profits.
The investigation into X will be the first investigation since the law was passed. It will focus on steps taken by X to make the platform more transparent, and on user interface design that can be misleading — such as blue ticks next to an account that appear to be a paid subscription.
The European Commission said it will now first conduct an in-depth investigation into X and will continue to gather evidence by sending additional requests for information, conducting interviews and inspections.
- The EU Digital Services Act entered into force on August 25. However, if the EU previously had concerns that Twitter might not comply with the law, they intensified after Twitter voluntarily withdrew from the European Unionʼs Code of Practice on Disinformation. In June 2023, Twitter agreed to comply with the EU Digital Services Act.