Hna Virkunen denies a softer approach to Big Tech since Trump’s return

A top EU official has ruled out taking a softer approach to Big Tech, citing a “very clear legal framework” for regulators and pointing to several ongoing investigations into similar social networks X and Meta.

FT reported earlier this week the EU was reassessing the investigations an apple, Google and Meta, a process that could eventually lead to the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, curtailing or changing the focus of its research.

However, speaking to CNBC on Thursday, Henna Virkunen, the European Commission’s executive vice president for technical sovereignty, pushed back.

“We have our Digital Services Act, which came into force a little over a year ago, and there are several official processes that go against, you could say, all the big platforms: the Meta platforms, Instagram, Facebook, also on X and with TikTok “, Virkunen said.

“We continue our work, so no new decisions have been made. So we’re investigating (to see if they’re in compliance with our rules),” she said.

The Digital Services Act or DSA, which came into force in 2024, gives EU institutions the power to regulate Big Tech in an attempt to prevent illegal and harmful online activity and stop disinformation.

However, despite these new powers, there are growing questions about how the EU is actually going to enforce the rules, especially after President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

“It remains to be seen what the EU will do, as some investigations have gone further than others, but it is also clear that US tech companies will try to use the Trump administration to avoid EU rules,” Dexter Thillien, lead analyst. at the Economist Intelligence Unit, told CNBC.

It comes as technology industry attempts to cozy Trump on the eve of his second presidential term. Elon Musk of Tesla, Jeff Bezos and Zuckerberg of Amazon will attend Trump’s inauguration next week, according to NBC News.

Meanwhile, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg last week urged the incoming US president to look at the EU’s approach to Big Tech, saying the bloc applies competition rules “almost like a tariff”.

EU official Virkunen is one of a new team of politicians who started their work as members of the EU executive in December. Until now, the bloc has been considered a leader in technology regulation and has opened the door to several investigations into the behavior of large technology companies.

Asked if she was considering a softer approach to the sector, Virkunen said: “We (have) a very clear legal framework and regulatory rules in Europe, and of course we are now fully complying with those rules.”

Virkunen did not say whether she felt pressured by Trump’s return to the White House. Instead, she said, “all companies, American, European or Chinese, must respect EU rules.”

In December 2023, X Mask was struck with the first EU probe under the Digital Services Act. There is the European Commission evaluating whether X breached its transparency obligations and its duties to combat illegal content.

At the time, the agency said it was specifically evaluating areas related to risk management, content moderation, dark patterns, ad transparency and data access for researchers.

As Musk continues judge the far-right on the eve of the German elections — including the placement of a lively discussion with AfD party leader Alice Weidel — there are questions about whether the European Commission will evaluate this conversation as part of an investigation.

“It’s not about Elon Musk, it’s about X,” Virkunen said.

“X is (a) very large online platform, they have to take responsibility and they have to assess and mitigate risks, for example what they publish for electoral processes and for civil discourse. But the (European) Commission is already investigating X on this matter, and the scope of the investigation is already quite large,” she said, adding that “we are constantly watching” for new developments.