Elon Musk's Provocative Posts Spark Outrage: A Fine Line Between Controversy and Consequences

Elon Musk Withdraws Twitter from EU Anti-Disinformation Agreement, Sparks Speculation of Potential Site Closure in Europe Twitter, under the ownership of Elon Musk, has decided to pull out of the European Union's voluntary code of practice on combatting online disinformation. This move comes as Musk continues to post content that could potentially violate an upcoming EU law.

The withdrawal of Twitter from the EU's disinformation agreement has raised concerns that Elon Musk may be considering completely shutting down the platform in Europe. According to Euractiv, this speculation arises as the Digital Services Act (DSA), a new law aimed at regulating online content, is scheduled to come into effect in August. The DSA would make it mandatory for major social media platforms to monitor and flag disinformation, which was previously only voluntary.

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An EU official, speaking to Euractiv, expressed that they were anticipating Musk's withdrawal and stated that it was only a matter of time before it happened.

"Twitter Exits EU Voluntary Code of Practice Against Disinformation, but Regulatory Obligations Persist," European Commissioner Thierry Breton tweets. "You can run but you can't hide. Fighting disinformation will become a legal obligation under #DSA starting August 25. Our teams are prepared for enforcement."

The forthcoming Digital Services Act (DSA) will expand on the existing voluntary agreement, imposing obligations on major digital platforms like Twitter. These obligations include monitoring and demonetizing disinformation and bot farms, providing transparent warnings about political advertising, and empowering fact-checking. While content removal is not mandatory, platforms must offer users avenues to report illicit content, according to The New York Times.

Adhering to the current agreement helps mitigate the risk of violating the DSA's regulations, which could result in hefty fines of up to 6% of annual revenue, imposed by the European Commission, as previously reported by Insider.

Musk has yet to respond to Insider's request for comment, and Twitter representatives have only provided an automated response in return.

According to Politico, Breton had previously cautioned Musk that Twitter could face a ban in the EU if it fails to comply with the regulations. Despite Twitter's withdrawal from the EU disinformation agreement, Musk continues to engage in trolling behavior by posting content that tiptoes around the boundaries and could potentially be flagged under the DSA and other EU policies regarding hate speech.

In a recent Saturday post, Musk shared a quote wrongly attributed to philosopher Voltaire: "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize."

However, it was reported by AP that the quote actually originated from neo-Nazi Kevin Strom, who has been convicted twice for possessing child pornography.

Moving closer to a European exit Following the 2021 Facebook leak, where whistleblower Frances Haugen exposed Facebook and its parent company Meta for prioritizing profit over tackling widespread disinformation and racist hate speech, the DSA has become a key legislative focus for the European Commission.

According to experts interviewed by Insider, Musk's recent social media posts have contained references to alt-right themes and fascism. In one instance, he shared a meme featuring Pepe the frog and a caption with the term "fren," which appears to be a misspelling of "friend" but serves as a backronym for "far right ethno nationalist."

Cassie Miller, a senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center, explained to Insider via email that "'Fren' is a term commonly used by far-right actors to refer to each other in online spaces. It's part of their strategy to present themselves as harmless, using a term that sounds like baby talk but carries a meaning of 'far-right ethnonationalist' for those familiar with it."

She further noted that coded words and phrases are frequently employed by far-right communities to conceal their ideologies from outsiders and foster a sense of belonging among those who understand their true implications.

Such posts, along with more extreme instances of hate speech that have surged on the platform since Musk's involvement, could potentially violate the EU's measures against racism and xenophobia, leading to repercussions for Twitter and Musk himself from the European Commission.

With the impending enforcement of the DSA in August, which is expected to bring stricter regulations, Euractiv suggests that Twitter may find it easier to discontinue its operations in the EU. The report indicates that the EU is a relatively secondary market for the platform, and there is a growing likelihood that Twitter might choose not to comply with the DSA and ultimately withdraw from Europe. Hence, the decision to exit the Code of Practice on Disinformation could mark the initial formal step towards Twitter's departure from the European market.