Elon Musk’s X Faces EU Accusations Over Online Content Violations

The European Commission has accused Elon Musk’s social media platform X of breaching EU online content rules by employing “dark patterns” to deceive users. This preliminary finding is part of an ongoing investigation under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

1. Investigation Details:
   • The European Commission began investigating X last year to determine compliance with the DSA.
   • The Commission’s preliminary assessment suggests that X violated rules related to dark patterns, advertising transparency, and data access for researchers.
2. EU’s Findings:
   • Dark Patterns: These are deceptive practices designed to manipulate user behavior, such as making it difficult to opt-out of certain features or subscriptions.
   • Advertising Transparency: The platform is accused of not providing clear information on how advertisements are presented to users.
   • Data Access: Researchers reportedly faced difficulties accessing necessary data from the platform, hampering independent analysis and oversight.
3. Potential Consequences:
   • X has the opportunity to defend itself against these allegations.
   • If the Commission’s view is upheld, X could face substantial fines and be required to implement significant changes to its platform.
4. EU’s Position:
   • Thierry Breton, the EU industry chief, emphasized the seriousness of the situation in a post on X, warning of possible penalties and mandatory reforms.