BRUSSELS – The European Union (EU) has warned Elon Musk – the X owner – against promoting hate, racism and other harmful content.

In a letter addressed to Musk, European Commission Commissioner Thierry Breton said that “freedom of expression and of information, including media freedom and pluralism, are effectively protected.”

However, “all proportionate and effective mitigation measures are put in place regarding the amplification of harmful content,” he added.

Breton started the letter on Monday by explaining the reasoning behind this conversation.

“I am writing to you in the context of recent events in the United Kingdom and in relation to the planned broadcast on your platform X of a live conversation between a US presidential candidate and yourself, which will also be accessible to users in the EU.”

He was referring to an interview hosted by Musk later in the day where he and Donald Trump had a two-hour long conversation on Spaces – the livestream services by X.

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At the same time, the billionaire, who bought Twitter and renamed it to X, had earlier made a series of incendiary comments about the ongoing anti-immigrant protests in  the UK on his social media platform. He even suggested that the violence could end up in a civil war: “Civil war is inevitable”.

AMPLIFICATION OF HARMFUL CONTENT

In his letter, Breton warned against the “the amplification of harmful content”. Any failure to address the issue “might increase the risk profile of X and generate detrimental effects on civic discourse and public security”.

“This is important against the background of recent examples of public unrest brought about by the amplification of content that promotes hatred, disorder, incitement to violence, or certain instances of disinformation.”

DIGITAL SERVICES ACT

He was also clear about the course of action the EU could take.

“We are monitoring the potential risks in the EU associated with the dissemination of content that may incite violence, hate and racism in conjunction with major political – or societal – events around the world, including debates and interviews in the context of elections.”

“I therefore urge you to promptly ensure the effectiveness of your systems and to report measures taken to my team,” he added.

Breton reminded Musk of due diligence obligations set out in the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) amid an ongoing investigation of X into potential breaches of the law.

The legislation requires social media networks and streaming platforms to prevent the spread of hate speech and other harmful content.

Breton warned Musk that they were prepared to “make full use of our toolbox” to protect EU citizens from “serious harm”.

MUSK IS FURIOUS

In his reaction, Musk responded with a meme from the movie “Tropic Thunder” that included an explicit phrase written in block letters over a frame from the film.

“To be honest, I really wanted to respond with this Tropic Thunder meme, but I would NEVER do something so rude & [and] irresponsible!” he wrote on X.

Similarly, X CEO Linda Yaccarino called said the warning was “an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the US”.

“It also patronizes European citizens, suggesting they are incapable of listening to a conversation and drawing their own conclusions,” Yaccarino said it a post shared on X.