French MEP Aurora Laluk filed a complaint against the social network X to the office of the French media regulator Arcom due to “possible manipulation of its algorithms by Elon Musk».
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“The MEP has filed a complaint with Arcom, the audiovisual and digital communications regulator, against X under the European Digital Services Regulation (DSA). She condemns messages attacking governments and European leaders and support for the far right on the continent,” the French media reported.
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According to Laluk, she was outraged by “dozens of messages in her feed from users she does not follow.”
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As the media notes, the complaint was filed on the day when Musk is scheduled to hold a debate in X with the co-chair of the German right-wing party Alternative for Germany, Alice Weidel.
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“One must ask whether Mr. Musk is exploiting or abusing the platform’s algorithms to facilitate the dissemination of his own messages to the detriment of his users’ content and to further his personal interests and his ideas,” the MEP wrote in a letter to the head of Arcom.
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In July, the European Commission informed Network X of its preliminary findings that the company was breaching the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) in areas related to advertising transparency and researchers’ access to open data and information. If violations are not eliminated, the European Commission has threatened the company with fines of up to 6% of its total annual turnover. Elon Musk, in turn, said that social network X faces a “very open” battle with the European Commission in court.
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“If Arcom considers the complaint acceptable, it can initiate its own procedure, parallel to the procedure of the European Commission,” the French media note.
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The Digital Services Act (DSA) came into force in the European Union in August 2023. In accordance with this regulation, digital platforms are required to combat racism, the sale of drugs and counterfeit products, as well as the spread of child pornography and disinformation. Platforms must explain how their algorithms work, make recommendations, and offer alternatives.
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The European Commission regularly sends complaints to large online platforms, including X, Meta, TikTok, demanding that they eliminate detected DSA violations and threatens to impose penalties or stop the companies from operating in the EU.
