Photo byPublic Tweet for Thierry Breton

The European Union is not a big fan of Elon Musk.

Elon Musk, who owns a significant stake in X (Twitter), is currently under scrutiny by the EU due to concerns about transparency on the social media platform. The EU is considering imposing substantial fines equivalent to 6% of Twitter’s total revenue.

Elon Musk has angered the European Commission by allegedly violating the bloc’s Digital Services Act, which aims to regulate online content. The European Union wants to curb Musk’s influence on Twitter and impose significant fines on the company to prevent user manipulation.

Here are some of the things that angered the Union.

Anyone can get a blue checkmark.

Musk allowed anyone to obtain a “checkmark,” previously reserved for verified users, making the platform a playground for scammers and spreaders of misinformation.

The European Union claims that Twitter’s “blue checks” misled users into thinking that certain content was trustworthy when it may not have been. Musk said he wanted to save democracy, but every action he has taken since buying the platform indicates that he wants to save Musk and make more money for himself.

Enabling anyone to obtain checkmarks is not a smart idea for a platform that wants to spread truthful and reliable information. Checkmarks used to be designated for public figures, government agencies, and credible sources, providing users with an indication of the reliability of the information they were receiving.

Shortly after Musk made checkmarks available to anyone willing to pay for them, scammers purchased checkmarks and posed as prominent figures such as Hillary Clinton and well-known authors like J.K. Rowling. This is why European Union investigators did not support that decision.

Who is running ads on X?

The EU was also angered by Musk’s refusal to publish a database of all the digital advertisements, including details about their sponsorship and target audience.

The EU understands that advertisements can influence people’s opinions, sway elections, and impact democracy. Therefore, they want more information about the individuals or companies financing these ads on X (Twitter).

Instead of cooperating with investigators, Musk ensured that the X’s ad database is not searchable, making it difficult for investigators to study “emerging risks,” such as ads that carry harmful messages or target vulnerable groups.

Musk wants to protect his advertisers because they are his customers, not users.Users are the products that X (Twitter) sells to advertisers. This marks a departure from Musk’s initial stand against advertisers. Last year, when they threatened to abandon the platform after an anti-Semitic remark Musk made on X (Twitter), Musk told advertisers, “If someone is going to blackmail me with money, go #### yourself.”

Don’t kid yourself. Musk is not concerned about your well-being or the information you receive on X (Twitter); he wants to keep advertisers happy to generate more money. Do you side with Musk or the EU?

Two things can be true at the same time. You can support Musk and the EU simultaneously, so consider this before deciding.

Musk believes that the European Union is unethical.

Musk tweeted this week, “The European Commission offered 𝕏 an illegal secret deal: if we quietly censored speech without telling anyone, they would not fine us. The other platforms accepted that deal. 𝕏 did not.”

Elon Musk’s recent statement is bad news for the European Union and other social media platforms like Facebook and Snapchat. Musk suggested that the EU would have left him alone if he had agreed to censor their users and limit free speech. He also pointed out that other platforms accepted this secret deal, implying that they are part of the problem rather than the solution.

Margrethe Vestager, the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, denied these allegations. Vestager stated, "Twitter doesn't comply with the DSA in key transparency areas. It misleads users, fails to provide adequate ad repositories, and blocks access to data for researchers."

Elon Musk has clarified that he won’t sit on the sidelines. He has threatened to counter-sue the EU, a move that his fans have praised.

Michael Shellenberger, the author of “Apocalypse Never” and “San Fransicko”, defended Musk by accusing the EU of corruption. Shellenberger attacked Thierry Breton, the current Commissioner for Internal Market of the European Union, stating, “Take a good look at this man. He intends to censor the entire internet, including in the United States. He hates our freedom because it exposes his lies. He treats “1984” as a guidebook. He is a totalitarian menace, and we must do everything we can to remove him from power.”

Thierry Breton denies these accusations and reminds Musk, “It’s YOUR team who asked the Commission to explain the settlement process and clarify our concerns. We did it in line with established regulatory procedures. It's up to you to decide whether to offer commitments or not. That is how the rule of law procedures work. See you (in court or not)”.

Is this an attempt to curb Musk’s influence on Twitter, or is the EU really concerned about free speech and Musk’s abrasive approach to anyone who challenges him?