European Commission calls for X to answer questions over content moderation

May 8 (UPI) -- The European Commission demanded more information from the social media platform X on Wednesday under the Digital Services Act over its shrinking of content moderation team.

The commission is giving the Elon Musk-owned X until May 17 to give it additional information on its content moderation resources and generative artificial intelligence. Concerns arose from X's transparency report to the commission in March.

In the report, X said it had cut its content moderation team by nearly 20% since last October. X added that it has reduced its linguistic coverage within the European Union from 11 to seven.

"The commission is also seeking further details on the risk assessments and mitigation measures linked to the impact of generative AI tools on electoral processes, dissemination of illegal content, and protection of fundamental rights," the commission said in a statement.

The European Commission has used the Digital Services Act to crack down on social media outlets as the European Parliament elections draw closer. Social media websites like X have been blamed in the past for not be critical enough in weed out disinformation and misinformation on its platforms.

"The request for information sent today is a further step in an ongoing investigation," the commission said. "It builds upon the evidence gathering and analysis conducted so far, including in relation to X's transparency report published in March 2024."

The commission added that X's replies "to previous requests for information, which addressed, among others, mitigation measures for risks linked to generative AI."