X owner Elon Musk has refuted a warning from an EU official warning him to comply with the bloc’s new Digital Services Act (DSA).
Musk phrased his response by borrowing a telling line from Tom Cruise’s foul-mouthed character in the 2008 comedy “Tropic Thunder,” which, if you’re polite, is basically the equivalent of “Go push me.” it”.
While this scenario is playing out in Europe, it’s worth noting the contrast in Musk’s approach when dealing with another global power: China.
Although Musk has always been outspoken, he has avoided criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping or other senior officials.
The reticence is understandable, as Tesla makes about half of its electric vehicles in China, and X, the Musk-owned social media platform, remains unavailable there due to strict censorship.
Honestly, I really wanted to respond with this Tropical Thunder meme, but I would never do something so rude and irresponsible! https://t.co/jL0GDW5QUx pic.twitter.com/XhUxCSGFNP
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2024
How did it all begin?
It started when European Commissioner Thierry Breton issued a letter on Monday warning Musk that he had failed to meet his obligations to regulate the spread of harmful disinformation to EU citizens on his social media platform X.
Under the DSA, platform owners are obliged to remove illegal content and take specific measures to reduce legal but harmful content, such as false or misinformation.
Both Musk and Trump have produced and disseminated such content before, and combined, they have caused considerable problems for Brussels.
European Union The Commission launched formal proceedings against X in December, and last month the Commission informed Musk’s company of its preliminary conclusion that X had in fact breached the legislation. (Meta and TikTok are also under investigation.)
“Let me clarify any negative impact of illegal content on EU […]may be related to ongoing proceedings,” Commissioner Thierry Breton posted.
The letter was not discussed with the President of the European Commission beforehand
But the timing of the letter and the harsh nature of Brayton’s warning, which referenced Musk’s interview with Donald Trump, sparked search terms European Union Popular on USX.
Linda Yaccarino, the platform’s chief executive, quickly denounced Breton’s letter as interference in U.S. domestic affairs.
“This is an unprecedented attempt to extend laws that apply in Europe to political activity in the United States,” she wrote.
Musk, on the other hand, completely abandoned decorum in his reply. Boss X wrote to Breton, who was responsible for industrial policy in President Ursula von der Leyen’s outgoing first government, suggesting that the Frenchman engage in sexual intercourse with him in an unorthodox way.
During a media briefing on Tuesday, the committee repeatedly declined to comment on Musk insulting a senior official in such a vulgar manner.
When asked, however, it did reveal that neither the timing nor the wording of the letter had been coordinated with von der Leyen, or even with any of Breton’s other counterparts.
It also forced a European Commission spokesman to clarify that the letter was not intended to censor Musk’s interview with Trump, who has spoken out against the EU.
“The idea behind DSA is to replicate [the same legal practices] Everything that is available offline is online, so what is illegal offline must be reflected online,” the spokesperson said. “This letter is in no way intended to interfere with the U.S. election.”
She added that the DSA only enforces online platforms’ obligations to prevent the spread of illegal content within the EU, and not in foreign jurisdictions such as the United States.
Musk fueled recent race riots in UK
It’s one thing for Musk to deliberately and explicitly tell advertisers to leave his social media platform and “go f**k you” (but then turn around and sue them when they do).
It’s quite another to tell the EU executive to do the same.
The EU is not without its critics: Britain even left the bloc in February 2020, preferring deeper ties with the United States and Asia.
Eurosceptic and far-right parties also gained more seats in June’s EU parliamentary elections.
But the creation of the single market ensures that Europe continues to have a seat at the table when great powers negotiate global trade and economic policy. Unlike post-Brexit Britain, it remains a rule-maker, not a rule-taker.
Critics like to argue that because Europe’s bureaucratic culture is incapable of innovation, it is forced to regulate, of which the DSA is a prime example.
It is intended to provide safeguards against online platforms spreading false information at the speed of light to tens or even hundreds of millions of people across the EU.
In a smaller recent incident in the UK, the brutal murder of three young girls in the working-class community of Southport, wrongly blamed on a fictional illegal Arab immigrant, sparked widespread race riots against Muslims.
While X is just one of various platforms used to spread incitement to violence, only Musk has given him personal approval.
He predicted Britain would collapse in civil war, accused the government of policing white communities, and supported white nationalists and far-right demagogues such as Stephen Yaxley Lennon (aka “Tommy Robinson”).
The European Union sent a warning letter to Musk before Trump’s interview. How stupid are these regulators?@elonmusk? Love that you stood up to them. https://t.co/kXjVfDHywk
— Vinod Khosla (@vkhosla) August 13, 2024
Now, Musk is threatening to do the same thing in Europe, a continent that has twice plunged the world into war over racial and ethnic hatred.
Brussels drafted the DSA to create a level playing field for online platforms to compete while giving them responsibility for managing website content.
A spokesman for the European Commission said: “DSA is a cornerstone of the EU’s digital strategy and sets unprecedented new standards for the accountability of online platforms.”
Still, many, including Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, see it as government overreach. “How stupid are these executives?” the 69-year-old Trump critic wrote to Musk. “I like that you stood up to them.”
