Why X is unlikely to fall under the EU’s historic tech rules
Elon Musk’s social media platform X is unlikely to fall under the EU’s groundbreaking tech rules, which are designed to curb the power of Big Tech. According to a person familiar with the matter, the platform does not meet the rules’ gatekeeper criteria.
The European Commission launched an investigation into X in May after the company denied earlier indications that it might have to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which imposes a list of things Big Tech can and cannot do.
X has indicated that it is not an important link between companies and consumers.
Under the DMA, companies with more than 45 million monthly active users and €75 billion ($83 billion) in market capitalization are classified as gatekeepers. They must make their messaging apps interoperable with rivals and let users decide which apps to pre-install on their devices. They also cannot favor their own services over those of rivals or prevent users from removing pre-installed software or apps.
The commission, which had said it would complete its investigation within five months, declined to comment.
The biggest challenges for X lie in the EU’s recently adopted Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires major online platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful online content or face fines of up to 6% of their annual global turnover.
X is the target of several ongoing DSA investigations.
Bloomberg was first to report that X was likely to circumvent EU tech rules.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
