The European Union sent a warning letter to X owner Elon Musk on Monday, reminding him of the bloc’s rules against promoting “harmful content” ahead of the billionaire tech mogul’s interview with former President Trump. on the social platform.
“With a large audience comes greater responsibility,” wrote Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, in a post on X. “As there is a risk of amplification of potentially harmful content in connection with large audience events around the world , I sent this letter to @elonmusk.”
The letter reminded Musk that X is subject to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), the bloc’s relatively new law that regulates illegal content and disinformation on major social media platforms.
Breton noted that this includes ensuring that X has measures in place to avoid “the amplification of harmful content related to relevant events, including live streaming, which, if not addressed, could increase civic and public safety. ”
“Let me clarify that any negative effect of illegal content on X in the EU… may be relevant in the context of the ongoing processes and the overall assessment of X’s compliance with EU law,” the commissioner added.
He pointed to recent violent unrest in the United Kingdom as an example. A spokesperson recently said that X’s response to the UK riots could influence the ongoing investigation into the platform’s compliance with the DSA, according to Reuters.
The warning letter comes ahead of Musk’s interview with Trump on Monday night. Musk, who supported the former president’s reelection bid last month, said the “live conversation” will be “improvised, with no subject limits.”
X CEO Linda Yaccarino dismissed the letter in a post on the platform, calling it “an unprecedented attempt to extend a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the US.”
“It also patronizes European citizens, suggesting that they are incapable of listening to a conversation and drawing their own conclusions,” he added.
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