Brussels is under pressure to crack down amid suspicions that its owner Elon Musk is manipulating algorithms to support the far right in Europe
The European Commission has announced new technical measures in the investigation against the social network X, which is suspected of spreading disinformation and manipulating public dialogue in Europe, following Elon Musk’s new challenges.
“Today (Friday), we are taking new steps to verify the compliance of X’s recommendation systems with the Digital Services Act (DSA),” announced the European Commissioner for Technology Sovereignty Hena Virkunen. Brussels is under pressure from MEPs and member states to crack down amid suspicions that X’s owner is manipulating algorithms to support the far right in Europe. As Germany’s late-February elections approach, Elon Musk is not missing an opportunity to articulate his support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. But the new measures are independent of his positions which belong to the sphere of freedom of expression, according to the European Union.
The Commission today asked X to deliver by February 15 the internal documents for the recommendation systems and for any recent amendments to them. In addition, it announced a retention order obliging the platform to retain internal documents and information related to future changes in the conception and operation of the recommendation algorithms for the period from January 17, 2025 to December 31, 2025, unless the Commission’s investigation is concluded before from this date.
Finally, the Commission requested access to certain commercial APIs (application programming interfaces) of X, technical interfaces (interfaces) that allow direct access to the contents to confirm the control of the content and the virality (resonance) of the accounts. “These measures will allow the Commission’s services to take into account all relevant facts in the complex assessment of systemic risks” of the platform and how it mitigates them, the Commission explains in its statement.
Since the X investigation began, no formal charges have been announced over the suspected manipulation of algorithms that make Elon Musk’s and the far-right’s messages more visible. “We are determined to enforce on all platforms operating in the EU the respect of our legislation, which aims to restore an equal, safe and democratic online environment for all European citizens”, emphasizes Hena Virkunen in the announcement.
