The European Commission announced the commencement of formal proceedings against social media platform X (previously known as Twitter) under the European Union (EU) Digital Services Act (DSA) on Monday. This action marks the first instance of such proceedings under the new regulations, announced in 2020 and enacted in November 2022.
Under the DSA, X and 16 other companies were labeled as ‘Very Large Online Platforms’ (VLOP). As a result, they must meet certain demanding due diligence requirements within four months as per DSA Article 92. Companies with the VLOP designation are expected to evaluate yearly potential risks their platforms could pose to safety, health, and freedom of speech.
The main goal of the proceedings against X is to gauge whether it violated these regulations, as per findings from an initial investigation. This involved an analysis of a risk assessment report submitted by the company in September, X’s Transparency report, and its responses to a formal request for information.
X, alongside other social media giants, has recently faced scrutiny, particularly following the conflict between Israel and Hamas. In October, X announced measures to counteract misinformation and “illegal content” promoting terrorism, in response to criticisms from the European Commission. Soon after, the Commission requested formal clarification on X’s efforts to comply with the DSA.
The proceedings primarily concern illegal content spread within the EU, X’s strategies to combat misinformation, its actions towards increased transparency, and allegedly deceptive practices common to the platform, including its use of blue check marks. The ensuing process will involve collection of further evidence and potential enforcement measures.
Thierry Breton, the Commissioner for Internal Market, commented on the launch of the proceedings against X, stating:
Opening of the formal proceedings against X makes it clear that, with the DSA, the time of big online platforms behaving as if they are “too big to care” is over. 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.
To read the full story, you may refer to the original report on Jurist – News.