The European Union (EU) sent a strong warning message to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who owns social media X, on the 12th, saying, “The more users you have, the greater the responsibility.” The warning was to comply with the obligation to censor “harmful content” ahead of a live interview with US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on X that afternoon.
EU digital policy maker Thierry Breton sent a letter to Musk on Monday, directly mentioning the Musk-Trump conversation, and made public in a letter to X that “there is a risk of ‘potentially harmful content’ spreading within Europe.” Breton requested that “appropriate measures be taken to prevent the spread of content that incites hatred, disorder and violence, or of specific misinformation,” and warned that he was “prepared to use any means necessary.”
The EU, which recently embarked on large-scale regulation of Big Tech, is also increasing the level of pressure on X. On the 12th of last month, the EU executive announced the results of a preliminary investigation that X violated the Digital Services Act (DSA) in areas such as advertising transparency. The DSA was enacted to emphasize high transparency and social responsibility for online platforms. If the final result is confirmed, X will be fined up to 6% of its global annual revenue. The EU is also separately investigating whether X was inadequate in “measures to deal with the spread of illegal content and misinformation.”
However, it is evaluated that it is very unusual for the EU to issue a preemptive public warning like this. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) analyzed that “the EU’s attempt to control Big Tech has been greatly strengthened.” In particular, it explained that European countries have become more sensitive to online political discourse after violent protests spread due to false information from far-right forces in the UK.
In fact, Commissioner Breton cited the UK case in his letter, noting that “X has contributed to the spread of content that incites terrorism, violence, hatred and racism.” Euronews analyzed that “the EU is increasingly concerned about X spreading content that could incite violence and disorder.”
Musk is strongly opposing the EU’s warning. After the letter was released, he posted a meme (online popular content) containing a profanity that said, “Mind your own business” on X. During his conversation with candidate Trump, he indirectly criticized, saying, “Censorship attempts are increasing overseas as well.”
Reporter Kim Yun-jin [email protected]
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2024-08-13 23:01:42