Brussels monitors X before the electoral processes but puts itself in profile with Elon Musk’s support for European ultras

Once the return of the populist Republican Donald Trump to the White House has been achieved, the magnate Elon Musk, who is one of the advisors of the president-elect of the United States, has focused on the electoral processes that are approaching in Europe to give his support to the ultra forces, such as Alternative for Germany. The increasingly common comments and the campaign in favor of these groups, including the possibility of financing some such as Nigel Farage in the United Kingdom, have set off alarms in most European capitals, including Brussels. However, the European Commission admits that its ability to act before the speaker represented by the owner of the Digital Services Act (DSA) rules for misinformation.

Beyond his undisguised friendship with the far-right Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and his flirtations with the British far-right, Musk launched himself into campaigning for the German ultras on the eve of the elections in that country on February 23. “Only Alternative for Germany can save Germany,” he expressed on his social network in mid-December. He also called the Social Democratic Chancellor, Olad Scholz, an “incompetent fool,” whom he said should resign “immediately” after an attack at a Christmas market. Since then, messages about European affairs have become increasingly common.

European leaders do not hide their concern at a time when, furthermore, the relationship with Trump is one of the great unknowns of the new mandate in the face of an intensification of the trade war. And Musk is one of the advisors who whispers in his ear.

But what the European Commission says is that there is little room for maneuver because they consider that Musk’s opinions are protected by freedom of expression, which is at the “core” of European digital regulations. “Mr Musk can express his personal views, his political opinions in the EU, online and offline. This is their right,” said European Commission spokesperson for digital affairs, Thomas Regnier, on Monday, who avoided referring to foreign “interference” given that Musk is part of the team of the next US president.

What the European Commission does have under surveillance is X. “It is necessary to ensure that the platform operates within legal limits and that the platform is not misused in the face of systemic risks related, for example, to electoral processes or speech.” civic,” Regnier added. In other words, what European control bodies can do is supervise compliance with the rules regarding the operation of the platform and the algorithms, that is, that the opinions of Musk, who has more than 211 million followers, do not prevail. about others on the social network.

This neutrality is required, for example, before the live video conference scheduled with the leader of Alternative for Germany, Alice Weidel, this Thursday. In the talk, both will be able to say what they want, but what the digital controllers will monitor is that this online event is not given primacy through the algorithms. “Nothing in the DSA prohibits the owner of a platform, or any person, from hosting a livestream and expressing their personal opinions. “What we will analyze within the framework of this procedure are the systemic risks that may arise from certain practices on the platform, including said livestream, for example, the promotion of recommendation systems to promote said livestream,” said the Commission spokesperson.

X (formerly Twitter) has several open EU digital rules infringement procedures. One of them for failing to comply with the rules to combat disinformation. Another due to gaps regarding transparency and access to public data. The resolution of these files can culminate in a multimillion-dollar fine that can amount to 6% of the company’s global turnover. However, money does not seem to be a problem for the tycoon who promoted million-dollar raffles in the United States elections.

Musk even questioned the cancellation of the elections in Romania precisely because of the interference detected by foreign actors. In this case, the EU targeted TikTok for encouraging the pro-Russian candidate who won those elections. In recent days, attacks have focused on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over rape cases that occurred years ago. The Labor leader defended himself against those who “spread lies and misinformation”.

European leaders accuse Musk of interfering in elections

The German leaders or Emmanuel Macron have been harsher, who have spoken of interference in the elections. The French president accused Musk of “supporting a new reactionary international.” Macron warned that there is “an international of reactionaries” that represents “large private financial interests,” which takes advantage of the fact that “our liberal democracies have not been sufficiently effective” in protecting the middle class, the EFE Agency reports.

“I don’t remember, in the history of Western democracies, that there has been a comparable case of interference in the electoral campaign of a friendly country,” said Friedrich Merz, the CDU candidate who is the favorite for the German elections in an interview. to the newspapers of the Funke Media group. The leader of the liberals and former Minister of Finance, Christian Lindner, who in the past proved to be an admirer of the magnate, accused him of wanting to “generate chaos” and “weaken” the Central European country by supporting the extreme right.

For the moment, the European Commission has called a meeting with the coordinators responsible for enforcing the DSA, with the platforms (including X) and civil society organizations to analyze the “risks” in the face of the German elections.