EU and Elon Musk Clash Over Censorship on X

Jul 21, 2024, 12:15 AM

The European Union (EU) is engaged in a contentious battle with Elon Musk over the regulation of online free speech on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Despite Musk's initial pledge to comply with future European regulations, tensions have escalated, with the EU imposing censorship policies that penalize American social media companies for publishing content deemed undesirable by European authorities. The platform X, despite ongoing censorship, is seen as a significant threat to the EU's efforts to control information. Critics argue that the EU's approach blurs the line between illegal and harmful speech, and between critical opinion and foreign propaganda, which is central to the censorship regime. This conflict highlights broader concerns about the oligarchisation of power and the suppression of democratic and popular challenges within the EU. The establishment’s desire for full-spectrum information control is also a key point of contention.