The European Commission said on Friday it was intensifying its investigation into whether Elon Musk’s social media network X violated EU rules on content moderation with requests for information and an order for it to withhold relevant documents.
As part of its investigation starting in December 2023, the EU executive said it was asking X to provide, by February 15, internal documentation about its recommendation system that makes content suggestions to users and any recent changes made to it.
“Today we are taking further steps to clarify the compliance of X’s recommendation systems with obligations under the EU Digital Services Act,” EU digital chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.
OX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Commission played down reports this week that it was reviewing its investigations against big technology companies, stressing that they continue to operate normally and US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House has not affected his commitment to enforcing his laws.
Trump, who is sworn in as the 47th US president on Monday, has been critical of several EU policies. Empowered by his stance, other US CEOs such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg have sought his help in fighting EU regulations.
Continues after advertising
Meta last week canceled its fact-checking programs in the US and Zuckerberg said he would work with Trump to crack down on censorship around the world, highlighting the growing number of laws institutionalizing censorship in Europe.
Musk, the X owner and Trump ally, has repeatedly clashed with EU regulators, while some European politicians have accused him of interfering in elections, such as in his broadcast conversation with the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany. Musk claims that the criticism is an affront to democracy and freedom of expression.