Musk says EU wanted “secret deal” to “censor free speech” after fine threat
The post Musk says EU wanted “secret deal” to “censor free speech” after fine threat appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
Elon Musk accused the European Commission of acting in bad faith after the bloc threatened his social network, X, with a fine. The sanction could run into millions of dollars for breaching the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). He said the EU wanted a “secret deal” to “censor free speech”, which X declined. Also read: Musk’s Neuralink teases Optimus robot integration, lines up second brain implant The Commission is the primary executive arm of the 27-member EU. On Friday, it released preliminary findings of its investigation into X’s (Twitter) compliance with the DSA. It said the platform is in breach of the law in three areas: misleading verification systems, lack of advertising transparency, and failure to provide data to researchers. EU Commission claims X blue checkmark “deceives users” In response, Musk alleged that the Commission’s findings are part of a covert operation to manipulate free speech. The billionaire, who has described himself as a “free speech absolutist,” said other social media networks agreed to the Commission’s demands. X did not, he added. “The European Commission offered X an illegal secret deal,” Musk wrote on his X account. “If we quietly censored speech without telling anyone, they would not fine us. The other platforms accepted that deal.” The European Commission offered 𝕏 an illegal secret deal: if we quietly censored speech without telling anyone, they would not fine us. The other platforms accepted that deal. 𝕏 did not. https://t.co/4lKsaRsYoA — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2024 In its report, the Commission found that the process of verifying accounts using X’s blue checkmark “deceives users since anyone can subscribe to obtain such a ‘verified’ status.” It also claimed it was unsatisfied with the platform’s transparency because X “does not provide a searchable and reliable advertisement repository.” The Commission said X, which reaches 45…
Filed under: News - @ July 13, 2024 12:28 pm