European regulators just launched a major investigation into X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk. They want to know why the site hasn’t done more to stop the spread of AI-generated fake pornographic images, including material that exploits children. This probe could lead to massive new penalties for the company, which just recently had to pay a $140 million fine for other rule-breaking.
Henna Virkkunen, a top official for the European Commission, didn’t mince words. She called these “sexual deepfakes,” a violent and unacceptable form of degradation. The goal of the investigation is to find out if X is meeting its legal duties or if it is treating the rights of women and children as “collateral damage.”
The EU is particularly worried about Grok, the AI tool Musk added to X. Officials say when X launched Grok, it didn’t do enough to prevent people from using it to create or share illegal content. They believe these risks have now become a reality, causing serious harm to citizens across Europe. Along with this new focus, the Commission is also looking more closely at X’s recommendation algorithm to see if it’s helping bad content go viral.
This fight is happening during a very sensitive time. The Trump administration has already criticized Europe for being too tough on American tech companies. Musk himself has been incredibly hostile toward the EU. After his platform got hit with the last big fine, he compared the European Union to the “fourth Reich” and posted that the entire organization should be abolished.
X responded to the news by repeating its stance on safety. A spokesperson claimed the company has “zero tolerance” for child sexual exploitation or any kind of unwanted sexual content. They insist they are committed to making X a safe place for everyone. However, European leaders aren’t taking them at their word and want to see real evidence that the platform is actually cleaning up its act.
