Summary
The EU is intensifying its investigation into Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, over potential breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
This follows Musk’s support for far-right figures like Germany’s AfD leader Alice Weidel, including a livestream alleged to have been algorithmically boosted.
The European Commission outlined new steps, including requiring X to clarify system changes and retain data on algorithm updates, with a deadline of February 15.
Musk’s growing influence, including his role in the incoming Trump administration, has raised concerns. X could face fines of up to 6% of global turnover.
They are doing something, X is ordered to disclose its algorithm to the commission to see if the platform is as neutral and free of censorship as Musk claims, by 15 Feb 2025.
I’m somewhat dubious that they’ll disclose anything close to the effective algorithm.
It’ll be an incomprehensible pile of heuristics that operate on data they won’t provide.
“Boost posts from accounts where
account_flag & 0x00F00” is the algo… Which accounts those are is data.I do expect the EU investigators to follow up on any clear obfuscation of the algorithm. I’m not sure by how much but it will be better than the dog-and-pony show that are US Senate hearings.
disclosure, you say, oooooo harry did you hear, dis clo sure, oooooo la la, that’ll show him, that’s gonna leave a mark, that disclosure thing i’m sure
It actually will. Don’t forget, European countries have actual laws against promoting certain terrorist ideologies, unlike the US. Digging into the algorithm will prove that his platform is promoting illegal content.
Musk doesn’t want the EU to become the next Brazil.