Copyright 2024 Patriot Mom Digest
On Friday Senior EU officials, were furious after Twitter owner Elon Musk pulled the platform out of the bloc’s online censorship project. The EU’s “Code of Practice”, a pro-censorship project, is aimed at countering so-called “disinformation” online. Musk’s Twitter move has prompted fury from those in Brussels.
Musk, who had publicly stated that he wanted to support free speech on the platform while repeatedly insisting that he would support the European Union in its pro-censorship crusade, had been sending mixed messages lately.
It appears that Musk may be now prioritizing his freedom of speech commitment, over pleasing EU overlords, with the POLITICAL detailing rumors that Musk was pulling Twitter out of the voluntary anti-disinformation project. This was later confirmed by EU Internal Market Commissar Thierry Breton, who wrote on Twitter that the platform had indeed left the project.
Breton, went on to say, however, that legal obligations for Musk’s company to censor content disliked by the European Union remains. This statements echoes previous threats made by Breton that the platform would be thrown out of the bloc entirely if it does not submit to Brussels’ demands.
Breton wrote –
“You can run but you can’t hide,” “Beyond voluntary commitments, fighting disinformation will be legal obligation under [Digital Services Act] as of August 25.”…adding…“Our teams will be ready for enforcement.”
-Thierry Breton, EU Internal Market Commissar Thierry Breton,
Appearing to indicate a worsening tension between the company and the transnational union, is demonstrated by Musk’s decision to pull Twitter out of the EU’s voluntary censorship program.
As mentioned by Breton, the crusade against disinformation is voluntary for now. However, the bloc’s Digital Services Act will soon mandate that major social media companies preemptively censor certain content, statements, views and opinions deemed impermissible by Brussels. Any platform, under the coming regulations, that refuses to abide by the rules risks massive fines, as well as facing a potential ban from operating within the union.
Musk’s recent politics in the United States may make things a little more difficult for European powers. Musk’s recent affiliation with Ron DeSantis Presidential campaign, could find Breton and his EU colleague’s, having made a number of very influential enemies with access to the most powerful office in the world. Time will tell how this situation will play out.
“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”
-Albert Einstein