EU orders X to keep all Grok documents until end-2026

The European Commission has ordered X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, to preserve all internal documents and data related to its AI chatbot Grok until the end of 2026.

This directive extends a previous order from last year that required X to retain records concerning its algorithms, and how illegal content is shared on the platform.

A spokesperson for the Commission said the order allows authorities to access these documents if needed, citing concerns about X’s compliance with EU rules.

The move follows statements from the Commission condemning the spread of unlawful images on X, including nonconsensual photos of women and children.

🔗 Source: Reuters

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

EU pressure continues with no new Digital Services Act probe

The European Commission sent preliminary findings to X that list DSA breaches in three areas 1. They cover the misleading blue check verification system (paid verification badges), an inadequate advertising repository (a public archive of ads), and failure to give approved external researchers data access.
X was fined €120 million for these transparency violations, the first non-compliance decision under the DSA 2.
Other probes into X continue, with focus on systemic risks tied to illegal content and hate speech that are more politically sensitive than transparency issues 2.
A preservation order for Grok (X’s AI chatbot) data signals that regulators are building an evidence base for possible enforcement. A European Commission spokesperson said no new formal investigation has begun, so authorities remain in monitoring mode.

Compliance vendors can sell legal hold and audit tools to VLOPs

Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs) must assess systemic risks tied to illegal content, fundamental rights, or public security 3. They then apply mitigation that can include service redesign or changes to recommender systems (content-ranking algorithms).
Article 40 of the DSA requires VLOPs to give vetted (approved) researchers access to data that helps detect and understand systemic risks, with platforms expected to publish data catalogues describing data assets 4.
Formal proceedings are underway against platforms including X for suspected failures in providing researcher data access 4.
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers can add DSA-focused tools for AI chatbots. These include automated legal hold (record-preservation) workflows and granular audit logs that trace algorithmic choices. Vendors can offer researcher data portals with privacy controls. They can also ship compliance dashboards that track systemic risk assessments for VLOPs.