The European Commission has embarked on a formal investigation of X, a prominent online platform, to assess its compliance with the Digital Services Act. This action signifies the first instance of formal proceedings launched under the DSA, a recently implemented regulatory framework governing online platforms within the European Union.

The investigation centers on X’s practices in five key areas outlined in the DSA:

1. Commission will evaluate X’s adherence to DSA obligations concerning the mitigation and prevention of illegal content dissemination within the EU. This includes scrutinizing X’s risk assessment protocols and their effectiveness in countering the spread of unlawful material. Notably, concerns have been raised regarding the distribution of content related to Hamas’ recent attacks in Israel.
2. The effectiveness of X’s strategies to combat manipulative information on its platform will be under scrutiny. This includes assessing the efficacy of their “Community Notes” system, designed to provide users with context and counter-narratives.
3. The Commission will examine the level of transparency X offers its users. This may involve analyzing the comprehensiveness and accessibility of information regarding platform policies and user data management.
4. The investigation will probe potential deceptive elements within X’s user interface. A specific area of concern includes practices employing pre-selected checkboxes linked to subscription services, which might mislead users into unintentional purchases.

The press release is available here.