Elon Musk assured that Twitter will comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA, abbreviation in English), which was recently approved by Europe to combat the spread of illegal content and disinformation on social networks. Tycoon told Thierry BretonEuropean Commissioner for Internal Market and Services, at a meeting they both held at the Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, USA.
Breton traveled to North America to explain to the mogul the scope of the Digital Services Act, who recently announced he would buy Twitter for $44 billion. At the end of the meeting, the official shared video with Musk and spoke briefly about what was discussed at the meeting.
Although the specific details of the agreement between the parties are not publicly disclosed, everything indicates that the European Commission He went out to mark his agenda on platform regulation and content moderation. And, it seems, she has found an ally in the person of Elon Musk, who will comply with the new legislation as soon as it comes into force.
In the video shared by Breton, the businessman assures agree to everything offered through the DSA. “Everything my companies can do is good for Europe, we want to do it,” he said. And he ratified his position in response to the Commissioner’s tweet. “Great meeting! We are on the same wavelength in many ways,” wrote the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.
Twitter, Elon Musk, and the scope of the Digital Services Act
Ever since it was revealed that Elon Musk would buy Twitter, there has been a lot of talk about the tone the company will have under his mandate. While the deal is yet to be finalized, it is already known that the mogul will become CEO – at least temporarily – once the deal is closed. All eyes on what tone will be around content moderation and freedom of expressiongiven that they were fundamental pillars in the businessman’s decision to “unleash the full potential” of the social network.
Musk’s statements on these issues have already caused a lot of controversy. His stance on “absolute freedom of expression” is seen by many as paving the way for the spread of fake news and disinformation that Twitter has worked hard to counter in recent years. While others argue that the new leadership could lead the company to correct the ideological bias among its directors in favor of the American left.
The latter was publicly endorsed by Elon Musk himself.. Some time ago, he shared a meme that caused a wave of bullying against a legitimate Twitter representative, while since the announcement of the purchase, the number of followers in the accounts of representatives of the most conservative wing of North American politics has skyrocketed.
In fact, in recent hours the tycoon himself has again spoken on the subject. In response to a post about applying Twitter policy to current events such as the abortion debate in the United States, Musk stated: “Twitter clearly has a strong left bias”.
Contradiction?
Now, if Elon Musk sees himself as the absolute champion of free speech, why would he go along with the moderation that Europe suggests in the Digital Services Act? Isn’t that a contradiction, right?
In recent hours, the businessman once again expressed his point of view on this matter and assured that his intentions comply with the laws of the countries in which the social network operates. “Like I said, I prefer to follow the laws of the countries where Twitter operates. If citizens want to ban something, pass the corresponding law. Otherwise, it should be allowed,” he said.
The truth is that in the specific case of the European Union, there seems to be no way for Twitter to avoid the Digital Services Act, and Elon Musk knows this. After all, Thierry Breton himself was categorical when asked about your purchase. “Now we have very clear rules. They can do what they want outside of Europe, but in Europe they will have to obey. [nuestras] rules and obligations,” he said Wall Street Magazine.
Source: Hiper Textual
