Shortly before the planned live broadcast of the conversation between Elon Musk and US presidential candidate Donald Trump, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton reminded X owner of his duties as a platform operator in the EU. On the one hand, X must ensure the free exchange of views and, on the other hand, take measures to prevent the spread of disinformation.
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Under the European Digital Services Act (DSA), X must ensure that no harmful content is distributed that “could have a detrimental effect on civic discourse and public safety,” according to a letter to Musk and X-CEO Linda Yaccarino, which Breton released on Monday evening.
Musk and Trump live
The reason for Breton’s writing is the conversation between Musk and Trump, which will be broadcast live on X on Monday evening (2 pm US Eastern time, Tuesday 2 pm German time). Breton said, because it can also be obtained in the EU, X will have to comply with European law and in particular the law for digital services.
“This is important in light of recent examples of public unrest generated by the dissemination of content that promotes hatred, incites violence or some cases of disinformation,” Breton stressed, apparently referring to the protests and riots in the United Kingdom and the United States, where a 17-year-old teenager killed three young children and injured many people.
The Commission continues to monitor “potential risks across the EU” that may arise from content shared on X, such as “violence, hatred and racism linked to important political – or social – events”. This also includes “debates and interviews in relation to elections”.
Breton threatens to take action
Breton points to ongoing EU proceedings against X and threatens to take action again. Breton threatens Breton did not elaborate on how the broadcast of the US election campaign program could spark public unrest in Europe.
It is unusual to say the least for an EU commissioner to intervene in a US election campaign in this way. CEO Linda Yaccarino speaks of an “unprecedented attempt” to extend European law to political activities in the United States. “Moreover, European citizens are protected by assuming that they are unable to listen to conversations and draw their own conclusions,” Explained Yakarino on X,
Trump tweeted again
Musk himself mocks Breton’s letter on X – with a meme that takes a scene from Ben Stiller’s comedy “Tropic Thunder.” In it, Tom Cruise plays an overweight filmmaker who can be very impressive on the phone.
Trump restored his old Twitter account on Monday. @RealDonaldTrump was suspended from Twitter following the events at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Musk unblocked Trump’s account after taking over Twitter. Apart from one tweet on August 25, 2023, the account has remained inactive ever since.
(vbr)
