The European Commission is intensifying its scrutiny of Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) by demanding access to its recommendation algorithms and internal documentation. The investigation focuses on potential violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA), particularly concerns about the spread of disinformation and political manipulation. The Commission has issued a request for X to provide information on its recommendation systems and any recent changes by February 15th, including access to commercial APIs that allow for analysis of content moderation and account virality. Additionally, a retention order has been issued, requiring X to preserve documents related to planned and recent modifications to its content recommendation engines until the end of 2025. This investigation follows concerns that X has been disseminating disinformation, particularly regarding the Hamas/Israel conflict, leading to the Commission threatening penalties under the DSA. The timing of the investigation coincides with allegations that Musk has been interfering in local politics, particularly in the EU and the UK, notably through his interactions with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
The European Commission is escalating its investigation into Elon Musk 's X (formerly Twitter) by demanding access to the platform's recommendation algorithms and internal documentation. The Commission issued a request for X to provide information on its recommendation systems and any recent changes made to them by February 15th. This request also includes access to commercial APIs that allow for direct analysis of content moderation and account virality.
Furthermore, the Commission has issued a retention order requiring X to preserve documents related to both planned and recent modifications to its content recommendation engines until the end of 2025. This investigation stems from concerns that X has been disseminating disinformation, particularly surrounding the Hamas/Israel conflict, which led to the Commission threatening penalties under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission's Executive Vice President for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, Henna Virkkunen, stated, 'Today we are taking further steps to shed light on the compliance of X's recommender systems with the obligations under the DSA. We are committed to ensuring that every platform operating in the EU respects our legislation, which aims to make the online environment fair, safe, and democratic for all European citizens.' This investigation comes at a time when Musk has been accused of meddling in local politics, particularly in the EU and the UK. Recent examples include his courting of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the lead-up to Germany's elections on February 23rd. Musk has actively promoted the AfD as the only solution to 'save Germany' and even held a livestream with Alice Weidel, the AfD's candidate for Chancellor, on X. When asked if the timing of the investigation was related to Musk's political actions, the Commission referred to an earlier press briefing. Thomas Regnier, the Commission's spokesperson handling tech matters, insisted that Musk's political maneuvering is not connected to the request. He specifically denied that the announcement had anything to do with Musk interfering in Germany's elections. Regnier emphasized that these are investigatory steps to gain access to crucial information needed for the Commission's enforcement work to understand and analyze the risks stemming from X's recommender systems. With X facing a February 15th deadline to provide the requested information and Germany's elections fast approaching on February 23rd, the Commission has limited time to determine if X's systems are being manipulated to favor Germany's far-right. If the Commission finds evidence of such manipulation, it could still take action to ensure a free and fair election. Regnier stated, 'We will do everything we can to be sure - as with all other elections - that will be free and fair.
Politics EUROPEAN COMMISSION TWITTER RECOMMENDATION ALGORITHMS DSA DISINFORMATION POLITICAL INTERFERENCE ELON MUSK HAMAS/ISRAEL CONFLICT DIGITAL SERVICES ACT ALTERNATIVE FOR GERMANY (AFD) GERMANY ELECTIONS
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