BRUSSELS, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission on Monday opened a new formal investigation into social media platform X under the Digital Services Act (DSA), and broadened an ongoing probe to scrutinize the platform's compliance with EU rules governing recommender-system risk management.

In a press release, the commission said the new case will examine whether X properly assessed and mitigated risks associated with the deployment of Grok's functionalities in the EU, including risks linked to the spread of illegal content such as manipulated sexually explicit images, including content that may amount to child sexual abuse material.

A 3D-printed miniature model of Elon Musk and Grok logo are seen in this illustration taken, Feb 16, 2025. (File photo: Agencies)

X's Grok AI tool has come under mounting criticism following reports that it was used to generate allegedly illegal sexual content.

At the same time, the commission broadened a separate case it opened in December 2023 to examine whether X has met its obligations to manage risks tied to its recommender systems, including the impact of X's recently announced switch to a Grok-based recommender system.

The Commission said it will continue to gather evidence, including by sending additional requests for information and conducting interviews or inspections, and "may impose interim measures" if there are no "meaningful adjustments" to the X service. Under the DSA, companies can be fined up to 6 percent of their global annual turnover for breaches.

In December 2025, the European Commission issued its first non-compliance decision under the DSA, fining X 120 million euros (about 142.35 million U.S. dollars) for breaches, including the deceptive design of its blue checkmark. (1 euro = 1.19 U.S. dollar)