Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

Europe’s Bureaucrats Aren’t Too Happy About Elon Musk Speaking With Donald Trump

Steve Jurvetson via Flickr

European Commissioner for Internal Markets Thierry Breton wrote a letter on Monday threatening legal action against “X” Owner Elon Musk if his platform fails to abide by the agency’s tech regulations during his upcoming interview with former President Donald Trump.

Breton wrote that “X,” formerly known as Twitter, is obligated to abide by the rules enacted in the Digital Services Act (DSA) and ensure that all “effective mitigation measures” are placed into effect to prevent “harmful content” during Musk’s anticipated live conversation with Trump at 8 p.m. on Monday. Breton said the EU is monitoring the “potential risks” that may “incite violence, hate and racism” that could allegedly be present during Musk’s live event.

“As the relevant content is accessible to EU users and being amplified also in our jurisdiction, we cannot exclude potential spillovers in the EU,” Breton wrote. “Therefore, we are monitoring the potential risks in the EU associated with the dissemination of content that may incite violence, hate and racism in conjunction with major political — or societal — events around the world, including debates and interviews in the context of elections.”

Breton threatened any alleged violation of the DSA could result in the EU pursuing legal action against the social media platform.

“Let me clarify that any negative effect of illegal content on X in the EU, which could be attributed to the ineffectiveness of the way in which X applies the relevant provisions of the DSA, may be relevant in the context of the ongoing proceedings and the overall assessment of X’s compliance with EU law,” the letter continued. “This is in line with what has already been done in the recent past, for example in relation to the repercussions and amplification of terrorist content or content that incites violence, hatred and racism in the EU, such as in the context of the recent riots in the United Kingdom.”

The DSA, which went into effect in August 2023, is a set of EU regulations for “very large online platforms” to increase content moderation by cracking down on illegal content and “disinformation,” as well as placing restrictions on targeted advertising.

“This is an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the U.S.,” X CEO Linda Yaccarino said in response to the letter on the platform. “It also patronizes European citizens, suggesting they are incapable of listening to a conversation and drawing their own conclusions.”

The EU accused X in July of violating the DSA, stating that Musk’s verification policy on the platform can be used to deceive other users, CBS News reported. Musk removed verification badges, otherwise known as the blue check, from all verified accounts of people deemed noteworthy and currently charges $8 for anyone to receive a blue check.

Breton further noted in the letter that the EU will “not hesitate” to take action in order to “protect EU citizens from serious harm.” He said X must also comply with the DSA by informing EU judicial and administrative authorities on the measures taken to address anything the agency deems illegal “without undue delay” and inform users of the actions taken.

X deferred the Daily Caller News Foundation to Yaccarino’s statements on the platform.