Official statement or ruling from the European Union or relevant EU bodies

EU Deploys 150 Officials as Elon Musk Interviews AfD's Alice Weidel Ahead of German Elections

Jan 9, 2025, 02:22 PM

Tech billionaire Elon Musk is scheduled to host a live interview with Alice Weidel, the leader and chancellor candidate of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, on X (formerly Twitter) at 7:00 PM on January 9, 2025. The conversation, which will include German simultaneous translation and be broadcast by several media outlets, has attracted significant attention and scrutiny. The European Union is reportedly deploying up to 150 officials in Brussels and Seville to monitor the event for compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA), assessing whether the livestream and X's algorithms provide an unfair campaign advantage to the AfD ahead of Germany's federal elections on February 23, 2025. There are concerns that Musk's involvement could be considered a campaign contribution and that the platform may boost AfD content. The discussion has sparked debates over free speech, censorship, and the role of social media platforms in political campaigning within the EU.