Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of X Holdings Corp., speaks at the Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on May 6, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.
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The European Commission on Monday warned X Corp. owner Elon Musk and Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino that the company May face penalties and restrictions Europe will be in trouble if the spread of illegal content on social media platforms, including incitement to violence and hate speech, is not addressed.
“I write to you in the context of recent events in the UK and the plans to broadcast a live conversation between the US presidential candidate and you on your platform X, which will also be available to EU users,” EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton wrote in the letter This was posted on X on Monday.
“We are monitoring the potential risks posed by the dissemination of content within the EU that may incite violence, hatred and racism, as well as at major political or social events around the world, including debates and interviews in the context of elections,” Brittany wrote. .
“I therefore urge you to immediately ensure the effectiveness of your systems and report back to my team on the measures taken,” he added.
Thierry Breton, French Commissioner for the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, Industry, Research and Energy.
John Teece
After receiving the letter, Yacarino called it an “unprecedented attempt to extend European laws to political activities in the United States.”
“It also shows a condescending attitude toward European citizens and shows their inability to listen to the conversation and draw their own conclusions,” Yacarino said. write on X.
Musk also serves as CEO Teslais scheduled to host Donald Trump on X’s streaming platform Spaces on Monday night.
The Spaces meeting, billed as an impromptu conversation with Musk, will be one of the few campaign events Trump holds this week. The Republican former president is still trying to find his footing in a new race against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
The commissioner reminded Musk of his due diligence obligations under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires social networks and streaming platforms to prevent the spread of hate speech and other harmful content on their platforms.
Breton warned Musk that the EU was prepared to “make full use of our toolbox” to protect EU citizens from “serious harm”.
According to reports, X Corp. has 300 million users worldwide (a third of which are in the EU). X is “designated as a very large online platform” and has legal obligations to comply with European law, especially the Digital Services Act, the announcement Brittany wrote.
Riots in the UK in recent weeks were triggered by false information spread on X and other social media platforms that falsely identified the perpetrators of attacks on children in dance classes in small British towns as asylum seekers.
Riot police stop protesters near a burning police car after riots in Southport, England, on July 30, 2024. Riots spread across England and Northern Ireland after a fatal stabbing attack in Southport sparked violent protests amid rumors about the 17-year-old suspect’s identity.
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Since then, Musk has made a series of inflammatory remarks on X about the situation in the UK.
Musk’s comments were condemned by British officials. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said last week there was “no justification” for such comments.
Musk also shared an image of a fake headline that appeared to be from the Daily Telegraph website, falsely claiming that the UK was building “internment camps” for rioters in the Falkland Islands.
He has since deleted the image, which was also posted by Ashley Simon, co-leader of the far-right Britain First party.
Even before false information about the stabbing emerged, British officials had criticized Musk. In an interview published by The Times last week, British technology minister Peter Keir said Musk “is not accountable to anyone” and that dealing with a platform like his is like negotiating with a foreign government “simply because of its size.” and scale”. The range they have. “
On August 4, 2024, Rotherham, England, riot police drove away anti-immigration protesters outside
Christopher Furlong | Getty Images
The Commission, the EU’s executive arm, launched an investigation last year to assess whether X had breached the DSA. The investigation is ongoing.
Breton said the EU “cannot rule out potential spillover effects on the EU from illegal content circulated on X” even within the context of another jurisdiction’s affairs.
The EU cited “changes to recommendation systems, increased monitoring of specific keywords or hashtags, or orders to cease or remedy alleged infringement” as examples of interim measures that could be implemented under the DSA.
The Commission also has the power to impose fines of up to 6% of annual global revenue if companies breach the DSA.
The commission had previously accused X of violating rules on dark patterns, deceptive tactics used by companies to get people to use or buy certain products and services, advertising transparency and access to researcher data.
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