European Union regulators are preparing major sanctions against Elon Musk's social media platform X for violating the law against illegal content and disinformation, reported The New York Times citing four sources.
According to the sources, the sanctions will include a fine that could exceed $1 billion and a requirement to make changes to the operating regulations. The fines are expected to be announced this summer and will be the first under the new European Union law designed to force social media companies to control their services.
EU representatives stated that their investigation into X is independent of tariff negotiations, the investigation began in 2023, and last year regulators issued a preliminary decision that X violated the law.
Last year, European regulators concluded that X violates the law by refusing to provide data to third-party researchers, making it difficult to assess the spread of disinformation and other harmful materials on the service. Authorities also believe that X does not provide adequate transparency regarding advertisers and does not verify the authenticity of users who pay for a "verified" account, making the platform more vulnerable to abuse and foreign interference.
A second investigation is also open against the company, which is more extensive and could lead to further fines. The EU believes that X's indifferent approach to controlling user content has turned it into a center of illegal hate speech and disinformation, which they believe undermines democracy across the 27-country bloc.
According to NYT sources, the European Union and X could still reach an agreement if the company agrees to changes that satisfy regulators' concerns.
Photo: The New York Times