International
EU warns Elon Musk to curb harmful content on X ahead of Trump interview
The European Union has issued a stern warning to Elon Musk, urging him to curb the spread of harmful content on his social media platform, X, ahead of his live interview with former US President Donald Trump.
EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton reminded Musk of his legal obligations under the Digital Services Act to police and remove illegal content and disinformation.
“With great audience comes greater responsibility,” Breton wrote in a letter posted on X, emphasizing the risks associated with amplifying potentially harmful content within the EU. He cited Musk’s upcoming interview with Trump and recent inflammatory comments about far-right riots in the UK as examples of content that could incite violence, hate, and racism.
Breton warned that the EU is closely monitoring the situation and will take action if X is found to be in violation of the DSA.
Read also: LP seeks cancellation of Imo governorship election at Supreme Court, alleges over-voting, bias
“We are monitoring the potential risks in the EU associated with the dissemination of content that may incite violence, hate, and racism… My services and I will be extremely vigilant to any evidence that points to breaches of the DSA and will not hesitate to make full use of our toolbox, including by adopting interim measures, should it be warranted to protect EU citizens from serious harm.”
Since acquiring the platform in 2022, Musk has been accused of transforming X into a platform for right-wing conspiracy theories. A new analysis revealed that Musk’s false or misleading claims about the US elections have garnered nearly 1.2 billion views on X.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
