The European Union on Tuesday reprimanded a senior official for sending a threatening and unauthorized letter to Elon Musk regarding freedom of speech on X (formerly Twitter).
European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton wrote to Musk on Monday, warning him that X must comply with EU digital freedom of speech and disinformation laws during his meeting with former President Donald Trump. The European Commission said on Tuesday it was investigating X's possible breaches of digital law, but dismissed Breton's letter, saying it was inappropriate and not authorized to be sent to Musk. According to In the UK's Financial Times. (Related: 'He's talking about the issues': Charmagne says Musk interview shows 'why Trump resonates with so many people')
“The timing and wording of the letter was not agreed or coordinated with the President, [commissioners]”The European Commission said,” according to the Times.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – APRIL 30: Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, speaks to media at the Berlaymont Building, EU Commission headquarters, Brussels, Belgium, April 30, 2024. (Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
When asked why Breton sent the letter without prior approval, a European official told The Times: “Thierry has his own ideas, his own way of working and his own way of thinking.”
Musk also Responded On Monday, he made harsh comments about Breton, sharing a meme of him showing a character from the film yelling at him to “take a big step back and literally go fuck yourself in the face.”
Breton “[took] A European official told The New York Times that they “downplayed” Musk's comments but called for a more appropriate response: “There's no need to comment or react to every tweet, whether it's a bonjour or a reference to a movie,” the official said.
According to the Times, people close to Breton said he thought it would be a good time to send such a letter, given that Musk was scheduled to interview Trump the same day.
The bigger the audience, the greater the responsibility #DSA
I am writing this letter due to the risk of potentially harmful content spreading on 🇪🇺 in connection with events with large audiences around the world. Elon Musk
📧⤵️ pic.twitter.com/P1IgxdPLzn
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) August 12, 2024
“We cannot exclude potential spillover effects within the EU, as the relevant content is accessible to EU users and is expanding in our jurisdiction,” Breton said in the letter. “We are therefore monitoring the potential risks in the EU that may arise from the spread of content that may incite violence, hatred or racism in the context of major political or social events around the world, such as election-related debates or interviews.”
Musk and the European Commission have been at odds for nearly a year over differences in opinion over what free speech laws should be upheld on X. The Commission launched an investigation into X in December over allegations that the platform was not spreading illegal content or “disinformation” as defined by the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into force in August.
The European Commission added on Tuesday that its investigation is “ongoing.”
“We are investigating and of course everything that happens on the platform will feed into this assessment,” the committee said.
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