The European Commission has warned Elon Musk and X Corp. CEO Linda Yaccarino, that their social media platform could face penalties and restrictions in Europe if it does not address the spread of illegal content, such as incitements to violence and hate speech, CNBC reports.
Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, emphasized the need for X to comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates social networks to prevent the spread of hate speech and harmful content. The EU is investigating X for potential breaches of this law and has indicated it could use various measures, including fines up to 6% of global revenue, to enforce compliance. The warning came ahead of a live conversation between Musk and US presidential candidate Donald Trump, accessible to EU users.
Recent events in the UK, where riots were fueled by disinformation spread on X, have intensified scrutiny. Musk’s comments on X about these riots, including claims of an inevitable civil war and sharing fake news, claiming the UK was building detainment camps for rioters, have been criticized by British officials.
