European Union regulators this week said Elon Musk’s X isn’t officially a social media gatekeeper and is therefore exempt from regulation under the commission’s Digital Markets Act.
In an announcement Wednesday, the EU concluded that X was not an “important gateway between businesses and consumers.”
“Following a thorough assessment of all arguments, including input by relevant stakeholders, and after consulting the Digital Markets Advisory Committee, the commission concluded that X does indeed not qualify as a gatekeeper in relation to its online social networking service,” the commission wrote.
Companies deemed gatekeepers by the commission must take steps to reduce anti-competitive behavior. Most major social media and tech companies, including Apple, Meta and Microsoft, are called gatekeepers in the EU.
The decision is likely a victory for Mr. Musk and X, who have fought to be exempt from EU regulations relating to social media.
Still, X could be considered a gatekeeper in the future. Mr. Musk has long maintained that he wants X to be the “everything app,” with customers doing most of their financial transitions on the platform. If that happens and X comes into direct competition with financial companies, the EU could step back in to re-categorize the social media platform.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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