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European democracies face a new online influence and disinformation threat – not from authoritarian regimes like Russia, but emanating from the United States. Elon Musk, owner of X and an ally of Donald Trump, uses his network to discredit leaders he doesn't like. Promoting the extreme right Viewpoints and politicians. Meanwhile, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is shifting to a Musk-style approach, which prioritizes “free speech” over “freedom of speech.” Verify the facts independently On his platforms, Facebook and Instagram. European leaders may fear that if they clash with these American billionaires in their attempt to protect their democracies, they may now face retaliation from the White House itself.
The power afforded by Musk's vast wealth and social media reach has been amplified by his proximity to the US president-elect. President X seems intent on stirring up the political rabble abroad. I have Supported The far-right Alternative for Germany party ahead of the German elections scheduled for Thursday Host a live broadcast With Chancellor's candidate Alice Weidel. He has baselessly accused British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of being “complicit in gang rapes” – a reference to the decade-long scandal over… Child rape gangs —Fiercely She smeared a ministerHe called for the release of the imprisoned far-right activist. He asked his 211 million followers whether the US should liberate the UK from its “tyrannical government”.
dead Zuckerberg He does not yet use his platforms to promote his own or extremist views. But Replacing independent fact-checking with It also seems like a cowardly attempt to do so Prefer curry with Trump After past frictions. In addition to explicitly aligning with Musk and Trump's idea of ”freedom of expression,” the Meta chief said he would work with the next president to oppose “corporate censorship” of online platforms in Europe. This leads to a clash between the laissez-faire approach of US social networks and the requirements of the EU and UK for content regulation.
In responding to Musk, in particular, democratic leaders in Europe and elsewhere should avoid panicked overreactions that play into his favor. Starmer struck the right tone this week advertisementwithout naming X's owner, said the line had been crossed by those spreading lies and misinformation online. However, Musk has succeeded in setting the sights on the UK Political agenda By artificially bringing a historical scandal, no matter how shocking and unjust, back into the spotlight.
Some patience may also be warranted due to uncertainty about how long the friendship between Musk and Trump will last; Divisions are emerging in the pro-Trump coalition. The dispute would go some way to diminish Musk's influence — and the risks for politicians elsewhere trying to contain him.
However, European leaders should make clear that there are rules that Musk and Zuckerberg's networks must adhere to. It threatens both the European Union's Digital Services Act and the UK's Online Safety Act Heavy fines For large online platforms that fail to curb illicit content, including forms of misinformation. The European Union issued an investigation last summer Preliminary results That Musk X DSA breach In areas including allegedly deceptive techniques to manipulate user behavior, advertising transparency, and researchers' access to data.
EU and UK rules are far from perfect. Both jurisdictions should be concerned that technology regulation does not do so, as Zuckerberg charged this week. Stifle innovation. But accusations of left-wing bias in European content moderation are a smokescreen for the political and personal agendas of Trump, Musk and Zuckerberg. Europe's democratic values are so fundamental that its leaders should not be shy about imposing rules designed to protect them – even if it risks clashing with X or Meta leaders, or a returning US president.
