European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton wrote a letter to “X” owner Elon Musk on Monday threatening legal action if his platform fails to comply with the European Commission's tech regulations during an upcoming interview with former President Donald Trump.
Breton Written “X,” formerly known as Twitter, is obliged to comply with rules laid out in the Digital Services Act (DSA) to ensure that all “effective mitigation measures” are in place to prevent “harmful content” during Musk's live conversation with President Trump, scheduled for 8pm on Monday. Breton said the EU is monitoring potential risks “that may incite violence, hatred and racism” that may allegedly be present during Musk's live event.
“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 wrote. “We are therefore monitoring the potential risks in the EU associated with 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.”
Breton warned that the EU could take legal action against social media platforms if they are suspected of violating the DSA.
“We wish to clarify that any adverse impact of unlawful content on X in the EU may result from a lack of effectiveness in the way in which X applies the relevant provisions of the DSA and may be relevant in the context of ongoing litigation and the overall assessment of X's compliance with EU law,” the letter continues. “This is in line with what has already been done recently in relation to the reverberation and amplification of terrorist content and content inciting violence, hatred and racism in the EU, for example in the context of the recent riots in the UK.”
DSA is effect The EU regulations, which come into force in August 2023, are a set of EU regulations aimed at “large online platforms” aimed at strengthening content moderation by cracking down on illegal content and “fake information” and placing limits on targeted advertising.
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
“This is an unprecedented attempt to extend European law to U.S. political activity,” X CEO Linda Yaccarino said in response to the letter on the platform. “It disrespects European citizens and suggests they are not capable of listening to conversations and drawing their own conclusions.”
This is an unprecedented attempt to stretch European law to cover political activity in the United States, and it signals a disdain for European citizens and their inability to listen to conversations and draw their own conclusions. https://t.co/RmxL4VFuvV
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayaX) August 12, 2024
The EU accused X of violating the DSA in July, saying that the authentication policy for masks on the platform could be used to mislead other users, CBS News ReportedMusk has removed the verification badge (aka blue check) from all verified accounts of people he deems worthy of attention, and now charges $8 to receive a blue check. (Related: Europe threatens to ban Twitter for allowing free speech)
Breton further noted in the letter that the EU will act “without hesitation” to “protect EU citizens from serious harm.” He said that in accordance with the DSA, X must notify EU judicial and administrative authorities “without undue delay” of any measures it has taken to address anything they deem unlawful, and inform users of the measures it has taken.
X referred the DCNF to Yaccarino's remarks in his speech.
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