EU And UK Issue Stark Warning To Musk Over Free Speech: “Elon, There Are Rules”

While Elon Musk is preparing to take over his recently purchased Twitter with pledges to “transform” it into a free speech platform, the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom have issued a pretty blunt warning about the acceptance of “hate speech” on the website.

“We welcome everyone. We are open but on our conditions. At least we know what to tell him: ‘Elon, there are rules. You are welcome but these are our rules. It’s not your rules which will apply here,’” Thierry Breton (pictured), the EU’s commissioner for the internal market, told the Financial Times. 

To avoid penalties and even bans, the EU and UK have notified Musk that Twitter must comply with the EU’s Digital Services Act and the UK’s internet safety acts, which governs what they consider “hateful and hurtful” comments, or risk Twitter being banned entirely in the region.

Tweets that violate these guidelines, which are due to take effect in 2024, may result in penalties of up to 6 percent of worldwide sales or even total bans from the site if the behavior continues.

Musk, a self-described “free speech absolutist,” has said that users should be allowed to speak freely within the confines of the law and that severe situations should be issued a temporarily suspension, rather than kicked off the platform entirely.