The European Union, which imposed a €120 million ($137.2 million) fine on Elon Musk’s social media platform X last year, announced on Wednesday that it has accepted an action plan from X to adhere to transparency requirements outlined in the EU’s Digital Services Act.
”The European Commission has approved X’s action plan to fulfill transparency obligations and ensure researchers have access to data under the Digital Services Act,” it stated in a release.
”These approved measures are a significant advancement in providing researchers, civil society, and the general public with greater transparency regarding X’s operations, specifically to monitor systemic risks and evaluate the platform’s overall impact on its users and European society,” it continued.
Previously, on December 5, X faced a €120 million ($140 million) penalty from EU technology regulators for violating online content regulations, marking the first enforcement action under significant legislation that has once again faced criticism from the U.S. government.
Musk responded with “Bullshit” to a European Commission post regarding the fine. He also shared various messages condemning the decision and remarked: “Freedom of speech is the bedrock of democracy. The only way to know what you are voting for.”
The EU’s sanction against X came after a two-year investigation under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates that online platforms take greater responsibility for addressing illegal and harmful content.
An inquiry into ByteDance’s social media platform TikTok resulted in charges in May for the company breaching a DSA requirement to maintain an advertisement repository that allows researchers and users to identify scam ads.
Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s tech chief, stated that X’s relatively modest fine was appropriate and calculated based on the nature and severity of the infringements, as well as their impact on EU users and duration.
“Our goal is not to impose the highest fines but to ensure that our digital legislation is upheld, and compliance with our rules means avoiding fines. It’s as straightforward as that,” she told the press.
“It is crucial to emphasize that the DSA is unrelated to censorship,” Virkkunen remarked.
She added that forthcoming decisions regarding companies facing DSA violations are anticipated to be made more swiftly than the two years required for the X case.
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