EU Commissioner Breton reprimands Elon Musk
In a letter published on X, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton has warned multi-billionaire and X boss Elon Musk not to violate European legislation against the dissemination of hate speech and incitement to violence on the Internet. Breton was referring to Musk's posts on the violent riots in the UK and 'interviews in the context of elections'. A good idea?
Overshooting the mark
Breton's letter to Musk went too far, warns NRC:
“There is a fine line between legal prosecution of disinformation on the one hand and state censorship on the other. And now Breton is making it even finer. ... Musk is certainly not the first Anglo-Saxon media magnate to get publicly and actively involved in politics, even if the enormous reach and power he wields via algorithms is unique. Musk is in the process of turning his 'digital village square' into a sinister and narrow-minded schoolyard. Thierry Breton should not allow himself to be dragged into this dynamic. Otherwise he will undermine his own ability to do something about it.”
Authoritarian solo actions are the wrong approach
Svenska Dagbladet is perplexed:
“It is, in fact, the Frenchman with the veiled bureaucratic language who is the rude one here, and whose overbearing formulations should quite rightly be criticised. The Swedish government should make it clear that it does not support such authoritarian solo actions by the Commission. ... In the worst-case scenario, Breton's suggestion that the EU could end talks with political candidates it doesn't like and punish those who disobey and don't adapt may actually be meant seriously. This would also bear disturbing similarities to Trump's agenda.”
Freedom of speech also applies to shocking views
De Morgen also urges caution:
“So now we have reached the point where the EU Commission is pre-emptively threatening a media platform with censorship. In other words, in a bid to protect democracy we are actually chipping away at its foundations. Europe is on a very slippery slope here. Fortunately, the Commission itself has also recognised this and has now called Breton off. Freedom of speech does not only apply to consensus, it also and especially applies to shocking, hostile and even reprehensible opinions. If we abandon this starting point, we destroy freedom of speech.”