Twitter/X boss Elon Musk has fired back at the European Union (EU) after unelected Eurocrats threatened to block his social media platform for alleged “disinformation” violations.
Musk was responding to a letter from the EU charging that he is aiding the spread of “disinformation” on the platform.
EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, an unelected bureaucrat who wields disturbing powers to censor the taxpaying public of sovereign nations, wrote the letter to Musk with a list of demands.
Breton ordered Musk to deliver a “prompt, accurate, and complete response” to “relevant law enforcement agencies” within 24 hours.
He warned Musk that “your platform is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU.”
The alleged “illegal content and disinformation” is supposedly related to the ongoing situation in Israel.
Breton cited the EU’s new Digital Services Act.
The legislation essentially seeks to crack down on dissenting online content deemed to be “disinformation.”
“Public media and civil society organizations widely report instances of fake and manipulated images and facts circulating on your platform in the EU, such as repurposed old images of unrelated armed conflicts or military footage that actually originated from video games,” Breton claimed.
“This appears to be manifestly false or misleading information.
Breton further warned Musk that if he fails to comply, “penalties can be imposed.”
“We will include your answer on our assessment file of your compliance,” he added.
Following the terrorist attacks by Hamas against 🇮🇱, we have indications of X/Twitter being used to disseminate illegal content & disinformation in the EU.
Urgent letter to @elonmusk on #DSA obligations ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/avMm1LHq54
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) October 10, 2023
The Guardian reports that under the EU rules, Musk can be fined 6 percent of his revenues from X and even have the platform blocked in the EU.
They threatened Musk with this when he bought Twitter and now they’re following through:
Musk responded by demanding specific details rather than empty claims.
As Musk pointed out, there are, yet again, no specifics to the claims of “disinformation.”
He asked Breton to “list the violations you allude to on X, so that the public can see them.”
Vu, merci.
You are well aware of your users’ — and authorities’— reports on fake content and glorification of violence.
Up to you to demonstrate that you walk the talk.
My team remains at your disposal to ensure DSA compliance, which the EU will continue to enforce rigorously.
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) October 10, 2023
The word “soviet” just means “committee” in Russia, so the USSR was a committees of committees of committees …
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 11, 2023
But what IS this content they’re talking about?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 11, 2023
The EU hired an Omidyar-funded firm ("Reset") that claims to be "disinformation experts". It issued a study accusing Big Tech platforms – especially X – of insufficiently censoring "pro-Russia propaganda."
The EU has a new censorship law and intends to use it to punish X: https://t.co/mjdSjypOfg
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 10, 2023
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 10, 2023
Many argue that X is a huge global public center of discourse, and it should not be policed and censored.
The leaders of the states of Israel and Iran are even trading words on the platform.
In such an example, an interference of the conversation by a faceless “fact-checker” or content moderator could be catastrophic.
Wow
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 10, 2023
