Multi-billionaire Elon Musk has plans with the news platform Twitter that violate the obligations under the new EU law on social services.
Why does Elon Musk, the man who made the electric car suitable for the masses and whose rockets carry astronauts to the International Space Station, want to spend the equivalent of 41 billion euros on the Twitter news service? “Because it’s important for democracy to work,” he said on stage at a TED talk in Vancouver these days. “It is important to help freedom in the world. The civilizational risk will be reduced the more we can increase trust in Twitter as a public platform.”
But Musk’s previously announced changes, which he intends to make to Twitter once he takes control of the stock and delists the company from the New York Stock Exchange, are causing some alarm in Europe immediately after announcing acceptance of his bid. “There are interesting things about what Elon Musk wants to suggest for Twitter, but let’s remember that the EU Digital Services Act – and with it the obligation to fight against disinformation, hate online and so on – applies comes, no matter what ideology its owner has,” said France’s Minister for Digital Affairs, Cédric O, on Monday evening (via Twitter).