Elon Musk Says “No” to EU Disinformation Censorship

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has withdrawn the platform from the voluntary code of conduct for technology firms, set up by the European Union to combat so-called “disinformation”. Independent columnist Rachel Marsden reported June 4 that “European Union officials are having a meltdown” because of his decision. Note that the code of conduct, revised by the EU last year, is “voluntary” — at least until next August.

Nonetheless, Thierry Breton, EU Internal Markets Commissioner, tweeted, “You can run, but you can’t hide”, in reference to the legal obligation to prevent disinformation, which will come into effect in late August. “He’s basically treating Musk, a guy who builds rockets and cars in America, like an unruly schoolchild, with Brussels in the role of the principal”, commented Rachel Marsden in an article in RT. And “French Digital Minister Jean-Noel Barrot even threatened to ban Twitter from the EU in a recent interview, citing the ‘grave’ threat of disinformation.”

Thierry Breton will be on his way to Silicon Valley next week to meet with the heads of the Google, Twitter and Meta platforms to check whether they will be in a position to meet the upcoming rules. He told Politico the meetings would be discreet, but added that “I am the enforcer. I represent the law, which is the will of the state and the people.” Wow! That says a lot about Brussels’ notion of power and how it is wielded…

As Rachel Marsden comments: “Sounds like Mr. Enforcer could use a good humbling from the people he purports to represent, and what better way for it to be delivered than through Musk, who envisions Twitter as the voice of the people and a platform for truly free expression”.