Musk Fires Back at EU Regulator: X Content on Palestine-Israel Conflict 'Open Source & Transparent’

A European regulator had issued Elon Musk a warning about the spread of “illegal content and disinformation” on X amid the Mideast escalation, warning that in case of “non-compliance, penalties can be imposed."

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk went on X (formerly Twitter) to fire back at the EU regulator's complaint that his platform allegedly spreads “illegal content and disinformation” about the Palestine-Israel conflict.

Responding to the allegations, Musk wrote that the platform's policy is "everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports." He also added, "Please list the violations you allude to on 𝕏, so that that [sic] the public can see them. Merci beaucoup."

Screengrab of X post by Elon Musk.

© Photo : elonmusk/X

Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for the internal market, had sent a letter to the tech billionaire, claiming that his office has received "indications" that groups are spreading misinformation and "violent and terrorist" content on X, along with “repurposed old images”. Breton urged Musk to ensure “a prompt, accurate, and complete response,” and contact “relevant law enforcement agencies” within the next 24 hours. Breton reminded Musk that he needed to have “proportionate and effective mitigation measures to tackle the risks to public security and civic discourse stemming from disinformation”.

Screenshot of X post announcing the platform's revamped Public Interest Policy.

© Photo : Safety/X

Furthermore, the commissioner alluded to the platform's updated public interest policy that redefines which posts are 'newsworthy.'

Breton, who had shared his letter via an X post, had also included a hashtag referencing the Digital Services Act, used by the European Commission (EC) to exert pressure on online platforms under the pretext of creating "a safer digital space".

Screengrab of X post by Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market of the European Union.

© Photo : ThierryBreton/X

The tech guru also responded on his social media platform to an X post by Glenn Greenwald. The American journalist and lawyer had tagged the news about the EU commissioner’s warning to Elon Musk, saying that the EU intended to wield its new censorship law to "punish" X. Greenwald referenced the firm "Reset” that the EU had hired as ostensibly "disinformation experts". Reset is an initiative run by UK-based Luminate Projects Limited, a company owned by Luminate, an organization founded by the Omidyar Group. A study by "Reset", the American journalist reminded, had accused X of failing to censor "pro-Russia propaganda."

Replying to Greenwald’s post, Musk wrote that not only must the public “hear exactly what this disinformation consists of and decide for themselves,” but that, “many times, we have found the ‘official fact-checker’ to be the very individual making false statements.”

This May, the social media giant owned by Elon Musk exited the voluntary European Union Code of Practice of Disinformation, launched last June, which presupposes obligations to increase transparency, cooperate with fact-checkers, and track political advertising. Elon Musk insisted there is now "less misinformation rather than more" since he took over the platform in October, 2022. However, Thierry Breton had warned Musk that. "You can run but you can’t hide,” in a nod at the platform's obligations as a so-called Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

“Beyond voluntary commitments, fighting disinformation will be legal obligation under #DSA as of August 25. Our teams will be ready for enforcement,” Breton had tweeted.

Under the pretext of shielding Europeans from ‘undesired information,’ the European Commission (EC) conceived the Digital Services Act (DSA), which was signed into law and came into effect in November 2022. With the touted aim of creating "a safer and more accountable online environment", the new legislation elevated the European bureaucrats to the position of a supervisor of the media sphere on the continent. After DSA entered into law, online platforms and search engines have been required to improve accountability and oversight by, for example, introducing a new flagging mechanism for what the authors of the law deem "illegal content." Under the rules, digital platforms are obligated to, "increase the protection of minors", and "give users more choice and better information." Firms breaching the DSA will face a fine equating to 6% of global turnover. Those who continue to break the EU's new digital rules may be prohibited from operating in Europe.

However, as part of the EU's so-called "disinformation crusade," the bloc stooped to outright censorship of Russian media, banning Sputnik, RT, and their subsidiaries, along with individual media channels of Russian bloggers amid Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine. The ban was met with condemnation from members of the European Federation of Journalists and the Dutch Association of Journalists (NVJ) at the time, who decried the fact that Europeans were being deprived of alternative viewpoints.