A top European Union regulator warned billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday that Twitter will have to comply with the EU’s digital rules under his ownership, complicating Musk’s ambitious free speech agenda.
Musk, who acquired Twitter on Monday for $44 billion after weeks of negotiations, has vowed to overhaul the platform to orient it toward free speech, with significantly less content moderation and censorship, which he has said is the bedrock of a functioning democracy.
However, Thierry Breton, the EU’s commissioner for the internal market, said he wanted to offer Musk a “reality check” on his free speech plans, warning that Twitter would incur hefty fines or even a ban if it doesn’t follow the EU’s rules.
“We welcome everyone. We are open but on our conditions. At least we know what to tell him: ‘Elon, there are rules. You are welcome, but these are our rules. It’s not your rules which will apply here,'” Breton told the Financial Times.
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“Anyone who wants to benefit from this market will have to fulfill our rules. The board [of Twitter] will have to make sure that if it operates in Europe, it will have to fulfill the obligations, including moderation, open algorithms, freedom of speech, transparency in rules, obligations to comply with our own rules for hate speech, revenge porn, [and] harassment,” Breton said.
“If [Twitter] does not comply with our law, there are sanctions: 6% of the revenue and, if they continue, banned from operating in Europe,” Breton said.
Breton’s comments come just days after the EU agreed to a new piece of legislation that would force Big Tech companies to police online content more aggressively.
The EU’s Digital Services Act forces platforms to be transparent about how they approach thorny topics, such as disinformation and war propaganda.
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Musk has described himself as a “free speech absolutist” who wants Twitter to be “the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.”
