European Commission steps up investigation into X amid Musk's possible election interference

The European Commission is stepping up its investigation into Elon Musk's Twitter, which is suspected of violating EU rules on content moderation. Reuters writes about this.

The Commission asked the company to provide internal documentation on the recommendation system that offers users content, as well as all recent changes made to it, by February 15.

In addition, the EC issued a “preservation order” requiring X to preserve internal documents and information on future changes to the design and functioning of the recommendation algorithms for the period from January 17 to the end of 2025.

The European Commission also requested access to certain technical interfaces of X, which will allow it to directly establish facts about content moderation and the virality of accounts.

“These steps will allow the Commission services to take into account all relevant facts in a comprehensive assessment of systemic risks and their “softening within the DSA”, – the Commission said.

Some European politicians have accused Musk of interfering in elections, for example through his livestreamed conversation with the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD). Musk said the criticism was an affront to democracy and freedom of speech.

The Commission said Musk was free to express his views and conduct live broadcasts with politicians, but it would assess whether the algorithms were promoting one narrative and shadow-banning other views, posing a risk to fair elections.