Elon Musk is seriously considering banning X (Twitter) in Europe

Elon Musk appears to be contemplating a solution to avoid compliance with the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA): Block X (formerly known as Twitter) nationwideIt turned out Business Insider.

According to the above-mentioned media sources, the executive who acquired the social network a year ago for $44 billion is exploring the possibility of acquiring delete the application throughout Europe or at least block access to the platform for users in the European Union.

We reiterate that the goal is to avoid the Digital Services Act, which, among other measures, requires companies to “mitigate risks such as disinformation or election manipulation” This is exactly what X (Twitter) does not take into account. The platform, in order to protect freedom of expression, allows users to publish any content. Proof of this is the wave of disinformation surrounding the war between Israel and Hamas.

The executive branch has also made sweeping changes regarding its ability to combat misinformation on the platform. Among them is the dismissal of most of the X moderators.

Moreover, Elon Musk cannot simply violate the Digital Services Act, since the European Union is very strict with those companies that ignore bans and measures. Actually, The fine for violating the DSA is up to 6% of the company’s turnover.. In the case of X (Twitter), the last known valuation is $4.4 billion. Thus, the fine will be $264 million.

Elon Musk stated even before purchasing X (Twitter) that he would comply with the DSA.

Elon Musk’s intention to ban Twitter in Europe to circumvent the Digital Services Act also contradicts what the tycoon said more than a year ago, even before acquiring Twitter. ““We want to do everything that my companies can do and benefit Europe.”pointed out the tycoon along with Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services.

However, Thierry Breton himself recently emphasized that X/Twitter is used to spread misinformation and illegal content about the conflict between Israel and Hamas.. Both Breton and Musk had interactions in which the Twitter owner claimed to be a transparent company, “which the EU supports,” he said. He also called on the European Union to publicly disclose X’s violations so that everyone can see them.

Breton, for his part, told Musk that he was “well aware of complaints from his users – and authorities – about false content and the glorification of violence.” And it is he who must prove what he says.

In any case, Elon Musk’s plan to block X in the European Union This would be something similar to what Meta does with Threads., an alternative to what used to be Twitter. In particular, Threads is not available in Europe because it does not comply with the Digital Services Act. However, the company confirmed that it is working to ensure that EU users can access the new social network.