The European Union is formally investigating Elon Musk’s social media site X, formerly Twitter, over whether it breached strict new regulations to curb the spread of illegal content.
The investigation is the first of its kind under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The new rules, which entered into force in November last year, require very large online platforms and search engines to do more to tackle illegal content and risks to public security.
The probe will focus on X’s efforts to combat the dissemination of illegal content in the EU, its efforts to counter information manipulation and measures taken to increase the transparency of its platform.
“The Commission will now investigate X's systems and policies related to certain suspected infringements," spokesman Johannes Bahrke told a press briefing in Brussels.
"It does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation."
The investigation will look into whether X has taken measures to combat "information manipulation", especially through its Community Notes feature.
The EU will also look into suspicions that X’s user interface, including for its blue check subscription service, has a “deceptive design".
The social media giant said in a statement: "X remains committed to complying with the Digital Services Act, and is cooperating with the regulatory process.
"It is important that this process remains free of political influence and follows the law. X is focused on creating a safe and inclusive environment for all users on our platform, while protecting freedom of expression, and we will continue to work tirelessly towards this goal."
A raft of big technology companies faced stricter scrutiny after the EU's DSA took effect earlier this year, threatening penalties of up to 6 per cent of their global revenue, which could amount to billions.
Penalties can even include a ban in the EU.
The DSA is a set of far-reaching rules designed to keep users safe online and stop the spread of harmful content that is either illegal, such as child sexual abuse or terrorism content.
The EU has already called X among the worst places online for fake news, and officials have called on Musk, who bought the platform a year ago, to do more to clean it up.
The European Commission previously quizzed X over its handling of hate speech, misinformation and violent terrorist content related to the Israel-Hamas war after the conflict erupted.
Musk bought X in April 2022.
