Elon Musk’s plan for a live chat with a German far-right leader on X later this week is permitted under the European Union’s current laws, however, it will be under review for the possibility of breaching electoral interference regulations, Brussels announced on Monday.
The world’s richest person, who is the owner of X social media, has caused widespread outrage across Europe with a series of strong criticisms targeted at the continent’s leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Elon Musk has expressed strong support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of Germany’s snap elections scheduled for February 23, and will host a conversation on X with the party’s leader Alice Weidel on Thursday.
His X platform is currently under scrutiny under the European Union’s pivotal content law, specifically the Digital Services Act (DSA), for how it deals with the dissemination of illegal content and misinformation.
The EU’s digital spokesperson stated that a live conversation on X did not breach EU regulations and insisted that the DSA did not “censor any type of content”.
“The Digital Services Act does not prohibit the owner of a platform or any individual from hosting a live stream and sharing their personal opinions,” spokesperson Thomas Regnier clarified in Brussels.
“Mr Musk is allowed to express his personal views, his political opinions in the EU online and offline,” he added.
Regnier mentioned that the ongoing investigation into X “involves suspected violations in areas related to risk management for civic discourse and electoral procedures”.
He said the EU would “carefully” assess the live stream and could consider including it in its current investigation if any particular risks are identified.
Platform owners must make sure they are “not misusing or providing unfair preference to specific types of content, or increasing visibility to only one type of content”.
Under the Digital Services Act, users have the right to opt out of viewing specific content, implying that X should enable users to block any references to AfD chat if they prefer. The EU wishes to determine whether X employs its algorithms to promote far-right content.
On January 24, the European Commission will engage in a discussion with German authorities, civil society organizations, and the world’s leading digital platforms, including X, regarding the risks associated with the digital space ahead of Germany’s election.
The European Union initiated its investigation into X in December 2023.
In July, 2024, it formally accused the platform of deceiving users with its blue checkmarks, indicating certified accounts, of inadequate transparency in advertising and of failing to provide researchers with access to the platform’s data.
