Elon Musk accused the European Union of attempting to manipulate free speech.
He stated that X did not approve of the EU’s “illegal covert agreement.”
Elon Musk accused the European Commission of acting in poor faith after the bloc threatened his social network, X, with a fine. The penalty for violating the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) could exceed millions of dollars. He claimed that the EU was interested in a “secret agreement” that would “censor free expression,” but X declined.”
The Commission serves as the primary executive branch of the 27-member European Union. It disclosed the provisional results of its inquiry into Twitter’s (Twitter) compliance with the DSA on Friday. It stated that the platform is in violation of the law in three respects: the failure to provide data to researchers, the absence of advertising transparency, and the use of misleading verification systems.
Musk responded by alleging that the Commission’s findings are part of a covert operation to manipulate free expression. The entrepreneur, who has identified himself as a “free speech absolutist,” stated that other social media platforms had acceded to the Commission’s demands. He also stated that X did not.
Musk posted on his X account, “The European Commission proposed an unlawful, confidential agreement to X.” “They would not impose a fine if we discreetly censored speech without informing anyone.” The other platforms were in agreement with that agreement.
In its report, the Commission determined that the process of validating accounts using X’s blue checkmark “deceives users” because anyone can subscribe to obtain a “verified” status. It also asserted that the platform’s transparency was inadequate due to the fact that X “does not provide an accessible and reliable advertisement repository.”
According to the Commission, X, which has a monthly user base of 45 million in the EU, did not comply with the DSA’s requirements for researchers to access its public data. The bloc specifically stated that X restricts “researchers from autonomously accessing its public data, such as by mining.”
The Commission has stated that the social media platform will have the opportunity to respond to the preliminary findings in writing and to defend itself.
The founder of Tesla and SpaceX is resolute in his belief that his company will be able convince the courts of its innocence, despite the EU’s allegations. Musk expressed his enthusiasm for a public courtroom battle in response to a post on X by Thierry Breton, an internal markets commissioner at the European Commission. He stated, “We are eager to inform the European populace of the truth.”
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