Rome (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A top EU parliamentarian has cautioned Elon Musk that X could be shut down completely in the European Union if it neglects to censor so-called “disinformation and hate speech”.
How Does the EU’s Digital Services Act Impact X?
Sandro Gozi, an Italian MEP who acts as the Secretary-General for the European Democratic Party and in the leadership of French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renew Europe group in Strasbourg, administered another threat of censorship towards Elon Musk and X, forewarning of a potential outright banning of the platform if it does not abide by the speech directions in the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
What Are the Consequences of Violating EU Speech Rules?
The member of the European Parliament stated: “The former Twitter must also concede with the DSA directive on disinformation and hate speech.” “If Elon Musk does not concede with European rules on digital services, the EU Commission will request continental operators to block X or, in the most severe case, will set a total dismantling of the platform in the territory of the Union,” Gozi added.
The caution from the leading EU parliamentarian came just a week after Thierry Breton, the European Commission’s censorship czar, penned an open letter to Musk, insisting that the X boss censor his live discussion with former President Donald Trump.
In his letter, the ex-tech executive turned Eurocrat intimidated to use all the powers in his “toolbox” to punish X if the Trump interview disregarded EU restrictions on disinformation, hate speech, or in any way served to harm “civic discourse and public security” in the bloc. Under the DSA, EU regulators, led by Breton, have the power to levy fines of up to six per cent of the global turnover of large internet companies. The draconian legislation also authorises Brussels to potentially prohibit platforms throughout the EU.
Breton’s intervention attracted pushback from other power players within Brussels as the EU faced indictments of “election interference” in the United States by requiring censorship of the Republican nominee for president. The following day, after Breton’s letter, a spokesman for the European Commission stated that it was sent without the knowledge of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.Â
What Are the Implications of Gozi’s Warning to Musk?
Following his warning to ban X, Gozi travelled to Chicago to hear the Democratic National Convention (DNC) and to sustain the Kamala Harris campaign, perhaps showing his partisan reasons for aiming to censor the free speech-oriented social media platform.
“US elections will also have a huge impact in Europe. For years, as European Democrats, we have been committed to strengthening our ties with American Democrats. With our participation in Chicago, we want to show our support for Kamala Harris and her fight for civil rights, for the middle class, and against Trump’s extremism,” Gozi expressed.
