Macron on Musk: EU officials raise concerns over Twitter

By Leah Montebello

Macron takes aim at Twitter under Musk (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Top European officials have warned Elon Musk to play by its rules as concerns around hate speech and disinformation amplify.

EU commissioner for digital policy Thierry Breton told the new social media owner that he would need to boost efforts to protect users.

The bloc recently introduced the Digital Services Act, which is due to come into force next year and aims to modernise regulation around advertising and disinformation.

The Brussels big dog held a video call with Musk this week, with Breton tweeting: “Huge work ahead still – as Twitter will have to implement transparent user policies, significantly reinforce content moderation and tackle disinformation”.

French President Emmanuel Macron also took a swipe at the ‘Chief Twit’, calling Musk’s leadership a “a big issue”.

“The limit is you cannot go in the streets and have racist speech, or antisemitic speech, you cannot put at risk the life of someone else. Violence is never legitimate in a democracy,” Macron said in an interview on ABC.

The news comes as the UK’s own online safety bill is set to return to parliament next week.

The government recently removed the contentious ‘legal but harmful’ provision, noting its potential threats to free speech

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