Musk's X faces possible sanctions in EU for allegedly breaking rules

Social media platform under probe for possible breach of content moderation law

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Elon Musk's woes are hardly limited to Brazil, as he now risks possible European Union sanctions in the coming months for allegedly breaking new content rules.

Access to social media platform X has been suspended in South America's largest country since Aug 31 after a long-running legal battle over disinformation ended with a judge ordering a shutdown.

But Brazil is not alone in its concerns about X.

Politicians worldwide and digital rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about Mr Musk's actions since taking over what was then Twitter in late 2022, including sacking many employees tasked with content moderation and maintaining ties with EU regulators.

Mr Musk's "free speech absolutist" attitude has led to clashes with Brussels.

The EU could decide within months to take action against X, including possible fines, as part of an ongoing probe into whether the platform is breaching a landmark content moderation law, the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Nothing has yet been decided but any fines could be as high as 6 per cent of X's annual worldwide turnover unless the company makes changes in line with EU demands.

But if Mr Musk's reactions are anything to go by, another showdown is on the cards.