DSA: European Commission opens investigation against Grok
On the European Commission’s decision to finally open an investigation under the DSA against the generation of sexualised deepfakes of women and children by Grok and their publication on X, Greens/EFA MEP Alexandra Geese comments:
“The European Commission finally uses its finest weapon to defend European citizens against tech oligarchs. The investigation comes too late, but can still send a clear signal that platforms have to comply with European law. We expect strong measures to protect women and children against sexualized deepfakes to come soon. Time is of the essence to show that Europe is finally ready to stand up for its values and the safety of its citizens.
“This case is clear-cut. The damage to millions of women and many children is irreparable. We hope that the Commission will use this learning to act quicker in the future. Especially in the area of electoral manipulation and the algorithmic suppression of speech of democratic parties while boosting extremist ones, the Commission needs to act before the next elections rather than admiring the problem afterwards. Romania is a case in point. If we want sovereignty, we need to overcome the fear and stand up for ourselves.“
“We must not surrender to Musk’s cruel, far-right vision of ‘free speech’ without upholding our own rules. Free speech doesn’t equate to creating sexualised images of women and children online.”
More:
Today the European Commission finally opened an investigation under the DSA against the generation of sexualised deepfakes of women and children by Grok and their publication on X. As reported by German media outlet Handelsblatt the investigation had previously been stopped because of tariff threats announced by the US administration. The investigation uses the powerful Articles 34 and 35 of the DSA to investigate the systemic risk and the lack of prior assessment of a new feature. This is exactly what the DSA was made for: Hold platforms accountable rather than focussing on users. Platforms shape the information environment through algorithms, targeting and monetisation. This is what they have to be accountable for.
Last week, the European Parliament sent a strong message to the European Commission during the debate, “AI Deepfakes and Sexual Exploitation on Social Media” which was convened in response to the recent Grok scandal. In the mean time, a review by the New York Times conservatively estimated that at least 41 percent of posts, or 1.8 million, most likely contained sexualized imagery of women. A broader analysis by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, using a statistical model, estimated that 65 percent, or just over three million, contained sexualized imagery of men, women or children.
