EU Parliament to debate Elon Musk's social media impact
The European Parliament is preparing for a debate on Elon Musk and changes in content moderation by Meta, reports Euractiv. The largest parliamentary factions support the debate.
The European Parliament plans to hold a debate about Elon Musk and changes in content moderation by Meta. According to Euractiv, the discussion is set to take place during a plenary session in Strasbourg, starting on January 20th.
The debate is backed by the two largest parliamentary factions: the Renew Europe liberals and the Socialists and Democrats group. They were the first to propose the motion, stressing the need to clarify whether Musk's comments on platform X (formerly Twitter) and his interview with Alice Weidel from Germany's AfD party comply with the EU Digital Services Act (DSA).
The title for the debate proposed by the socialists is: "Elon Musk and the Misuse of Social Media - Threats to European Democracy". The European People's Party also submitted a proposal, but suggests a more cautious title.
What could Musk's company face?
The European Commission is keeping an eye on the situation but avoids harsh judgements. The President of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen, simply emphasizes the importance of strengthening transatlantic ties.
In theory, for violating EU rules, the EC can impose a fine of up to 6% of the company's annual revenue or suspend platform X's operations in the EU. However, these are distant possibilities; for now, the Commission has been investigating platform X since 2023, with no quick resolution in sight.
