X’s handling of UK riots could influence ongoing EU probe into the platform

An ongoing European Commission investigation into social media platform X could take its handling of harmful content related to the recent UK riots into account, a spokesperson said on Thursday (8 August).

Last month, European Union officials issued charges against X, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires very large online platforms to do more to tackle illegal content and risks to public security.

The charges by the European Commission, the first issued under the Digital Services Act (DSA), follow a seven-month long investigation. The new rules require very large online platforms and search engines to do more to tackle illegal content and risks to public security. Musk said he would sue the Commission over its accusations.

Elon Musk to sue the EU Commission after accusations of X breaching digital rulebook

The European Commission accused social media platform X of breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA) over its verified accounts policy and lapses in transparency, in preliminary findings released on Friday (12 July).

“What happens outside of the EU is not covered by the DSA, but what happens in the UK is visible here. If there are examples of hate speech or incitements to violence, they could be taken into account as part of our proceedings against X,” a Commission spokesperson told Reuters.

X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While Britain has not been a member of the EU since 2020, harmful content in breach of DSA rules shared in Britain may have been seen by users in Europe, constituting a potential breach of the law.

Britain has been hit by a series of riots that erupted after three young girls were killed in a knife attack in Southport, northwest England, triggering a wave of false messaging online that wrongly identified the suspected killer as an Islamist migrant.

Elon Musk, the owner of X, has also weighed in. Responding to a post on X that blamed mass migration and open borders for the disorder in Britain, he wrote: “Civil war is inevitable.”

Read more with Euractiv

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