The European Commission on Monday warned X Corp. owner Elon Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino that the company may face penalties and restrictions in Europe if it doesn’t address the spread of illegal content, including incitements to violence and hate speech, on its social media platform. The warning comes as Musk is set to host Donald Trump on Monday evening on Spaces, the streaming platform of X, for an unscripted conversation.
The European commissioner for the internal market, Thierry Breton, wrote in a letter to Musk that the company may face penalties and restrictions if it doesn’t address the spread of illegal content. Breton cited recent events in the United Kingdom, where riots were sparked by disinformation that spread on X and other social media platforms, as an example of the potential risks in the EU.
Musk has made a series of incendiary comments about the situation in the U.K. on X, including suggesting that the violence taking place on British streets could end up in a civil war. He has also shared an image of a fake headline that was made to look like it had come from a UK newspaper, falsely claiming that the UK was building “detainment camps” on the Falkland Islands for rioters.
The commission reminded Musk of due diligence obligations set out in the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires social networks and streaming media platforms to prevent the spread of hate speech and other harmful content on their platforms. The commission also warned that the EU was prepared to “make full use of our toolbox” to protect EU citizens from “serious harm”.
X Corp. is designated as a Very Large Online Platform with a legal obligation to follow European laws and specifically the Digital Services Act. The company has 300 million users worldwide, with one-third of them based in the EU. The commission has the power to levy fines of as much as 6% of a company’s global annual revenue if they break the DSA.
This is not the first time the commission has taken action against X Corp. The commission has previously accused X of breaking the rules regarding dark patterns, advertising transparency, and data access for researchers. The commission started an investigation last year to assess whether X is in breach of the DSA, and the investigation is ongoing.
The warning from the European Commission comes as Musk is set to host Donald Trump on Monday evening on Spaces, the streaming platform of X, for an unscripted conversation. The conversation will be one of the few campaign events Trump does this week, as he tries to find his footing in a newly competitive race against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
The European Commission’s warning to Musk and X Corp. highlights the growing concerns about the spread of illegal content on social media platforms and the need for greater regulation to protect EU citizens from harm.
