The centrist elected official underlines that Elon Musk uses his platform to directly attack members of European institutions, as well as journalists and public figures, through targeted smear campaigns. “These actions constitute a clear violation of the provisions of the Digital Services Act, in particular Article 53 relating to the protection of European citizens against illegal content online.”
Ismaël Nuino therefore sent a letter to the BIPT, the Belgian telecoms policeman, to ask it to “carry out an in-depth investigation into current moderation practices (or their absence) by the X platform on Belgian territory”. The agent also requests an assessment of the degree of compliance of the platform’s behavior with Belgian requirements. In the event of proven non-compliance, it requires that procedures be initiated to force X to comply with the legislation in force, “or even recommend to the European Commission the suspension of its activities in Europe if no correction is made.”
Paris urges the European Commission to act against Musk: “we must protect our public space”
And to conclude: “Freedom of expression is important, but it must not allow extreme speech to be imposed through algorithms. Elon Musk is no longer just a crazy billionaire, he has become an American official and he seeks to influence and disrupt our democracies in a context of information warfare. This complaint reminds us that platforms have responsibilities towards their users and towards our democratic institutions. The Internet cannot be a lawless zone where it is the strongest who chooses what they can do or not.”
