As part of an investigation launched today, the European Commission has demanded that social network X provide internal documents regarding the platform’s recommendation algorithm. The commission also issued a “retention order” on all relevant documents to monitor possible changes to the algorithm in the future. The European Commission’s action comes in response to numerous complaints about the platform from German politicians ahead of next month’s elections.
Complaints submitted to the European Commission allege that social network X’s recommendation algorithm is actively promoting content from German far-right parties ahead of the German elections scheduled for February 23. The justification of these accusations is indirectly confirmed by Elon Musk’s statement in support of the nationalist Alternative for Germany party, in which he claims that this party will “save Germany.”
When asked whether the European Commission’s expanded investigation was triggered by Musk’s controversial interview, a regulator spokesman said the new request helped “monitor the systems around all these ongoing events.” However, he stressed that the investigation is “entirely independent of any political considerations or any specific events.”
«We are committed to ensuring that every platform operating in the EU respects our legislation, which aims to make the online environment fair, safe and democratic for all European citizens,” said Henna Virkkunen, head of digital at the European Commission. .
According to reports from knowledgeable sources, the EU regulator also requested from the social network X access to internal moderation rules and content promotion algorithms.