Elon Musk assured that Twitter will respect the Law of Digital Services (DSA, for its acronym in English) that Europe recently approved to combat the dissemination of illegal content and disinformation on social networks. The tycoon told Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services, at a meeting they both held at the Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, United States.
Breton traveled to North America in order to explain the scope of the Digital Services Law to the tycoon, who recently announced that he will buy Twitter for 44,000 million dollars. Once the meeting was over, the official shared a video with Musk and made a brief mention of what was discussed in the meeting.
Although the specific details of what was discussed between the parties were not has publicly disclosed, everything indicates that the European Commission has come out to set its agenda on platform regulation and content moderation. And it seems to have found an ally in Elon Musk to comply with the new legislation, once it comes into force.
In the clip shared by Breton, the businessman assures agree with everything that is proposed through the DSA. “Anything my companies can do that is beneficial to Europe, we want to do,” he said. And he ratified his position with a response to the Commissioner's tweet. “Great meeting! We are very much on the same page,” posted the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.
Twitter, Elon Musk and the scope of the Digital Services Law
Since it became known that Elon Musk would buy Twitter, much has been said about the tone that the company will have under his mandate. Although the acquisition has not yet been finalized, it is already known that the tycoon will serve as CEO – at least temporarily – once the deal is completed. All eyes are on what will be the tone around content moderation and freedom of expression, considering that they have been fundamental pillars in the businessman's decision to “unleash the full potential ” of the social network.
Musk's proposals on these issues have already generated much controversy. His stance of “absolute freedom of expression” is seen by many as a method of paving the way for the spread of fake news and misinformation, something Twitter has worked hard against in recent years. While others assure that the new leadership can lead the company to correct an ideological bias among its directors that favors the American left.
The latter has been publicly endorsed by Elon Musk himself. A short time ago he shared a meme that unleashed a wave of harassment on the legal representative of Twitter, while since the announcement of the purchase the number of followers in accounts of representatives of the most conservative wing of North American politics has grown drastically.
In fact, in the last few hours it was the tycoon himself who spoke again on the subject. In response to a post about the application of Twitter's policies on current issues, such as the abortion debate in the United States, Musk said: “Twitter obviously has a strong left bias”.
A contradiction?
Now then If Elon Musk considers himself an absolute defender of freedom of expression, why does he agree with the moderation that Europe proposes with the Digital Services Law? Isn't that a contradiction, perhaps?
In the last few hours, the businessman once again expressed his point of view on the subject and assured that its intention is to adhere to the laws of the countries in which the social network operates. “As I've said, my preference is to stick to the laws of the countries where Twitter operates. If citizens want something to be banned, then pass a law to do it. Otherwise, it should be allowed,” he said.
The truth is that, in the specific case of the European Union, Twitter does not seem to have room to escape the Digital Services Law and Elon Musk is aware of this. After all, Thierry Breton himself had been categorical when asked about buying it. “Now we have very clear rules. They can do what they want outside of Europe, but in Europe they will have to comply.rules and obligations”, he had told The Wall Street Journal.
