As part of an ongoing investigation into X, the European Commission has requested documents from the company regarding how its recommendation systems work. The EU regulator is particularly interested in any recent changes to the algorithm. The EC reported that it has asked X to provide information by February 15, as it is stepping up scrutiny under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
In addition, the regulator asked for access to certain APIs provided by X so that “direct fact-finding on content moderation and account virality” could be conducted. The Commission also imposed a document preservation order on X. This obliges the company to preserve internal documents related to future algorithm changes until the end of 2025 (or earlier if the investigation is completed earlier).
“Today, we are taking further steps to shed light on Recommender Systems X’s compliance with its obligations under the DSA,” Hanna Virkkunen, executive vice president of the Commission’s Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Division, said in a statement on Friday. “We are committed to ensuring that every platform operating in the EU respects our legislation aimed at making the online environment fair, safe and democratic for all European citizens.”
The EC launched an investigation in December 2023 to look into potential violations of the DSA. Companies found to have violated the law face fines of up to six percent of their global annual revenue.
Thierry Breton, former European Commissioner for the Internal Market, said that the bloc is considering whether X is fulfilling its obligations on transparency and the fight against illegal content. Possible deceptive design practices are also under the Commission’s microscope.
Regulators stepped up their investigations after X Company owner Elon Musk publicly supported the Reform Party in the UK and the far-right Alternative for Germany party ahead of the February elections. According to Reuters, some European politicians claimed that Musk was interfering in the election. He called this criticism an attack on freedom of speech and democracy.
In this regard, the Commission is examining whether X algorithms prohibit certain perspectives while reinforcing one narrative. However, she stated that Musk is free to speak as he pleases.
