EU Bureaucrats Consider Targeting Elon Musk’s Entire Empire Over X’s ‘Free Speech’

Radical EU bureaucrats are weaponizing the Digital Services Act (DSA) to crack down on free speech that doesn’t align with government-approved narratives on social media, including Elon Musk’s ‘free speech’ platform X. The EU’s attack on free speech online has possibly entered a new chapter, with Musk’s entire business empire potentially in the crosshairs of fines.

Bloomberg reported that EU bureaucrats are mulling over how to calculate fines against X for failing to combat what the bloc deems ‘illegal content or disinformation’ on the social media platform (this spat between EU-Musk has been ongoing for about a year). In other words, EU officials are livid with Musk because X does not censor and/or shadow-ban folks based on political views. So, these bureaucrats must potentially resort to lawfare against their political enemies.

The report cites people familiar with the matter who said EU bureaucrats are mulling over whether to expand the potential fine of up to 6% of X’s yearly global revenue to Musk’s other companies, including SpaceX, Neuralink, xAI, and the Boring Company. 

Under the EU’s Digital Services Act, the bloc can slap online platforms with fines of as much as 6% of their yearly global revenue for failing to tackle illegal content and disinformation or follow transparency rules. Regulators are considering whether sales from SpaceX, Neuralink, xAI and the Boring Company, in addition to revenue generated from the social network, should be included to determine potential fines against X, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public. -BBG

More from Bloomberg:

The European Commission has been investigating X for several potential breaches of the Digital Services Act, newly introduced rules meant to ensure platforms police illegal content. The EU is leading a global crackdown on harmful online content and disinformation that’s sparked increasingly vocal responses from Musk, who has said such measures restrict free speech.

… 

The commission hasn’t yet decided whether to penalize X, and the size of any potential fine is still under discussion, the people said. Penalties may be avoided if X finds ways to satisfy the watchdog’s concerns.

Musk has previously stated on X that he wants a “very public battle in court” with the EU over its censorship tactics…

We look forward to a very public battle in court, so that the people of Europe can know the truth https://t.co/nKBGEPxeEa

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2024

Bloomberg continued:

The review of X began under Thierry Breton, the EU’s former tech czar who often feuded with Musk online and had been granted special powers to enforce the DSA without the need for the commission’s rubber stamp. After Breton resigned in September, he bequeathed his fining powers to competition and digital boss Margrethe Vestager. Decisions on the penalties and how they are calculated would ultimately lie with Vestager.

In August, commissioner Breton sent a letter to Musk threatening X with punishment if they didn’t crack down on “content that promotes hatred, disorder, incitement to violence, or certain instances of disinformation.”

To be honest, I really wanted to respond with this Tropic Thunder meme, but I would NEVER do something so rude & irresponsible! https://t.co/jL0GDW5QUx pic.twitter.com/XhUxCSGFNP

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2024

By mid-Sept., Breton resigned after going rogue on Musk. 

The letter says he was fired. https://t.co/ReIxjnAd0p

— Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) September 16, 2024

What’s very clear is that EU bureaucrats and radical Democrats in the US, including the Obama-Biden-Harris team, have pushed censorship campaigns under the guise of ‘public safety’ to silence and destroy political enemies. Dictators and demagogues usually use these tactics.

In the US, Musk has been hit with an obscene amount of lawfare by federal agencies under the Biden-Harris administration, such as the FAA slowing down SpaceX rocket launches or the FCC rejecting Starlink space internet in the US’ rural internet program. This lawfare shows just how desperate Democrats have become – and that’s because – if Trump wins, X becomes the primary source of news and narratives, which would entirely displace legacy MSM.