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submitted 4 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

The tech mogul’s platform is the first to get hit with charges under new EU social media law.

The European Union is calling Elon Musk to order over how he turned social media site X into a haven for disinformation and illegal content.

The EU Commission on Friday formally charged X for failing to respect EU social media law. The platform could face a sweeping multi-million euro fine in a pioneering case under the bloc's new Digital Services Act (DSA), a law to clamp down on toxic and illegal online content and algorithms

Musk's X has been in Brussels' crosshairs ever since the billionaire took over the company, formerly known as Twitter, in 2022. X has been accused of letting disinformation and illegal hate speech run wild, roll out misleading authentication features and blocking external researchers from tools to scrutinize how malicious content on the platforms spreads

The European Commission oversees X and two dozens of the world's largest online platforms including Facebook, YouTube and others. The EU executive's probe into Musk's firm opened in December 2023 and was the first formal investigation. Friday's charges are the first-ever under the DSA. 

Infringements of the DSA could lead to fines of up to 6 percent of a X’s global revenue.

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[-] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 59 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

What if Musk pulls Twitter out of the EU? What fraction of their revenue is that, I wonder?

Normally this would be too crazy to even consider, but... this is Musk we're talking about. I'm sure he hates the EU government's guts already. And that totally sounds like an impulse decision he would make.

[-] Tja@programming.dev 49 points 4 months ago
[-] suction@lemmy.world 11 points 4 months ago

Hmm..EU citizens would be winning, but who else?

[-] Tja@programming.dev 5 points 4 months ago

Musk could keep doing whatever it is he's doing right now.

[-] suction@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

He could not though - losing the EU would be a win for him how?

[-] Tja@programming.dev 6 points 4 months ago

Musk could keep doing whatever it is he's doing right now.

[-] TurtleJoe@lemmy.world 30 points 4 months ago

I think his main motivation for continuing to run the company is to spread his agenda. If it only costs him a small percent of revenue to keep pushing Nazi taking points, thenbi think he'll just pay the fines.

[-] Gsus4@programming.dev 17 points 4 months ago

hehe, double the fines every day of noncompliance. I heard you like fines, so I added some fines on your fines and some fines on top of those to go with your fines. Don't fuck with EU regulators.

[-] awesome_lowlander@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Even without doubling, fines on a regular basis can hurt. Norway imposed $100k fine on FB on a daily basis, and FB is scrambling to do something about it, especially before other countries in the EU follow suit

[-] cows_are_underrated@feddit.org 7 points 4 months ago

100k isn't that much. However, if the EU decides to go for the total 6% of global revenue it will cost Musk a shitload of money.

[-] awesome_lowlander@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 4 months ago

100k is a lot when you consider how small Norway's population is. If you extend that same ratio per capita to the rest of the EU, FB would go broke.

[-] cows_are_underrated@feddit.org 3 points 4 months ago

OK, you got a point there.

[-] ajlanes@thegoatery.dyndns.org 3 points 4 months ago

@cows_are_underrated @world Does X have a high turnover of anything (except staff)?

[-] 100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it 1 points 4 months ago

You raise an interesting point, but Norway isn't in the EU, is it?

[-] awesome_lowlander@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 4 months ago

For many intents and purposes, Norway uses the same laws and regulations the EU does. In this particular case, it's just about setting an example

[-] OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml 29 points 4 months ago

As someone who works in the field, DSA-like regulation is coming to many countries over the next couple years. We also have regulations on political ads that are similar to DSA already in many countries already. Mega platforms like X have little choice but to get compliant

[-] uis@lemm.ee 12 points 4 months ago

A lot of companies that loudly "pulled out of Russia" are still working in Russia.

[-] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

Twitter's business is advertising. If they shun the EU, EU companies just aren't allowed to buy ads without getting in hot water themselves.

[-] Gsus4@programming.dev 6 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

He always complies with everything e.g. Turkey and many authoritarian governments want without a peep. The EU (and an even more shocking example: Brazil) are the only chumps who let him troll with impunity. Time to change that.

this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2024
821 points (100.0% liked)

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