Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter sets up a potential clash with European regulations. The eccentric tech billionaire might face difficulties with following the European policy on content moderation. Some EU officials are concerned that Musk’s desire to make Twitter a “digital town square” where users can say what they want with fewer restrictions may collide with local rules on social network content. Thus, Cedric O, France’s digital minister, said that while there are “some interesting things” Musk wants to push for at Twitter, the EU’s new Digital Services Act “will apply regardless of the ideology of its owner.” The Digital Service Act, Europe’s newly passed law on online content, will come into force in 2024. It requires large tech companies to strictly moderate content on their platforms in order to eliminate hate speech and incitement to violence. Firms that fail to comply with it will risk facing a fine of up to 6% of their annual revenue. In the case of Twitter, this could be around $300 million. Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for the internal market, commented that Mr. Musk was well aware of the rules. ”He is familiar with European rules on automotive, and will quickly adapt to the Digital Services Act,” the official said. However, Elon Musk is famous for his provocative tweets, which is why it may be extremely hard for the new owner to avoid a collision with EU regulators. The entrepreneur is a strong advocate for unlimited freedom of speech and calls himself a “free speech absolutist.” Musk is very active on Twitter and has repeatedly used the platform for posting announcements that could potentially affect his companies.
