EU Commission ceases ads on X

By Selen Valente Rasquinho

BRUSSELS (AA) - The EU Commission decided Friday not to advertise on X.

Commission spokesperson Johannes Bahrke said it is in line with internal guidelines that are frequently revised based on the evolving situation.

Bahrke noted a concerning increase in disinformation and hate speech on various social media platforms in recent weeks, with X being notably affected.

"We have seen a worrying increase in disinformation and hate speech across various social media platforms in recent weeks and X has certainly been hit hard by this," he said. "Therefore, we have advised our services to refrain from advertising at this stage on relevant social media platforms where we are concerned that our content appears in an inappropriate context.”

Bahrke said only X has been affected so far, and in the last month, the EU initiated an investigation into X's compliance with the EU’s online rules, citing "the spread of misinformation, illegal, and harmful content following Hamas' attacks on Israel."

Bahrke did not comment on whether the advertising ban decision is directly related to the investigation.