The European Commission has asked X to hand over internal documents about its algorithms as it steps up its investigation into whether Elon Musk's social media platform violated EU content moderation rules.

The EU executive told the company it wanted to see internal documents by February 15 about its "recommendation system" that provides content suggestions to users, as well as any recent changes to it.

Since December 2023, The company has been accused of manipulating the platform's systems to give far-right posts and politicians greater visibility than other political groups.

The EU has faced growing pressure in recent weeks to take action following a series of interventions by Musk into European politics. Musk, who will be part of Donald Trump's administration in the United States, has angered many across the continent with his attacks on the US leader and support for Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

EU Digital Commissioner Henna Virkkunen said in a statement: "Today we are taking further steps to clarify whether X's recommendation system complies with its obligations under the DSA."

The committee played down reports this week that it was reviewing investigations into Big Tech companies, stressing that those investigations were ongoing and that Trump's return to the White House did not affect its commitment to enforcing the law.

Virkkunen hinted that if X is found to have violated the DSA, the EU will not hesitate to use its powers to ban or fine it. "We are committed to ensuring that every platform operating in the EU respects our legislation, which aims to create a fair, safe and democratic online environment for all European citizens," she said.

In addition to requesting information about the X recommendation system and any recent changes by February 15, the three-pronged investigation also issued a "preservation order" requiring the platform to preserve information about future design and functionality changes to the X recommendation system. internal documents and information. Unless the committee's investigation is concluded before the end of the year, the recommendation algorithm will be in effect from January 17 to December 31.

The Commission also issued a request for access to certain of X's commercial interfaces or APIs, which are used to automatically obtain content from third parties.

Johnny Ryan, a tech litigator, said it was "positive" that Verkunin "is taking this opportunity to say publicly that the EU will enforce its laws on its territory."

He said the retention order was an "important step" and was used in the wake of Romanian election manipulation incidents involving TikTok.

Some European politicians have accused Musk of election interference, such as his livestreamed conversation with Alternative for Germany leader Alice Weidel earlier this month. The committee said Musk was free to express his thoughts and live-stream with politicians, but was assessing whether the algorithm would promote a single narrative and "shadow ban" other viewpoints, posing risks to fair elections.

Musk said the criticism was an affront to democracy and free speech.