Brussels, 23 November 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are calling on the European Commission to investigate whether X owner Elon Musk is boosting the reach of his own posts in a manner that violates EU law.

The inquiry is based on a study by the University of Queensland in Australia, which examined the visibility of Musk's posts over recent months.

Musk, who also owns Tesla and Space X, is a top supporter of US President-elect Donald Trump and has been named to co-lead a government efficiency agency.

The inquiry from the EU Parliament was signed by 42 members of the European Parliament from the Greens, Social Democrats, The Left, Liberals and the centre-right European People’s
Party (EPP) group.

The study findings suggest that the algorithm has recently shifted in favour of Musk's own posts. This includes the computational processes that determine where and how a post appears on the platform. The researchers report that since Musk announced his support for Trump in July, the views of his posts have reportedly soared.

Although posts from other prominent political accounts were also more frequently viewed during the election campaign, Musk's posts reportedly saw a significantly higher increase.

The results suggest that specific visibility advantages might have been selectively applied on the platform, according to the authors of the study, which has not yet been independently reviewed.

MEPs fear public safety impacts

"The increase in views also concerns Musk's posts on EU and member state topics on X, such as Kremlin-friendly propaganda about the war in Ukraine and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories," the MEPs stated in their written inquiry to the European Commission.

They believe that the algorithmic shift appears to have clear impacts on civil discourse and electoral processes as well as public safety in the European Union.

The parliamentarians want the commission to investigate so they can assess the risk under the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA). There was initially no response from the commission.

The platform X has been the subject of ongoing discussions since it was purchased by tech billionaire Musk. Musk had criticized the company as it was run before he bought it, when it was called Twitter. He said Twitter's approach to implementing rules against hate speech and incitement to violence were too restrictive.

As a result, many accounts suspended by Twitter from the right-wing political spectrum were reactivated. Musk also fired a slew of content moderators, thereby allowing what was previously objectionable content onto the platform.

Photo: EPA