First came news that Elon Musk was going to interview Donald Trump on Twitter/X at 7 PM tonight.
Then came word that the EU is very, very upset that Donald Trump might be allowed free speech.
The European Commission is threatening X owner Elon Musk with possible legal consequences for his plans to air an uncensored interview with former president Donald Trump, and calling for Musk to balance the importance of free expression with the need to suppress “harmful” content.
European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton, one of the world’s most aggressive tech regulators, warned Musk that his planned Monday night interview with Trump could violate the Digital Services Act, or DSA, if X does not limit the spread of certain forms of online speech connected to the interview.
“As the individual entity ultimately controlling a platform with over 300 million users worldwide, of which one third [are] in the EU, that has been designated as a Very Large Online Platform, you have the legal obligation to ensure X’s compliance with EU law and in particular the DSA in the EU,” Breton wrote in a letter to Musk shared on X Monday.
“This notably means ensuring, on one hand, that freedom of expression and of information, including media freedom and pluralism, are effectively protected and, on the other hand, that all proportionate and effective mitigation measures are put in place regarding the amplification of harmful content in connection with relevant events, including live streaming, which, if unaddressed, might increase the risk profile of X and generate detrimental effects on civic discourse and public security.”
Translation: We can’t be allowing Donald Trump to commit #wrongthink we disapprove of, and as your global lords and masters, we demand the right to censor anything we disapprove of, and time, anywhere.
Breton reminded Musk of the ongoing proceedings against X related to alleged DSA violations, and the measures Musk must take to remain in compliance with the European Union’s restrictive tech regulation package.
Thankfully, Musk already told them to get fucked.
“Therefore, we are monitoring the potential risks in the EU associated with the dissemination of content that may incite violence, hate and racism in conjunction with major political – or societal – events around the world, including debates and interviews in the context of elections,” Breton added.
Where did the EU get the idea that unelected Euroelites have a right to censor the free speech of an American President being interviewed by an American tech billionaire on that same billionaire’s free speech platform?
The Thierry Bretons of the world should be ignored, mocked and sued when their pretensions of ruling the world clash with the rights of Americans to enjoy free speech unfettered from government control, or any other situation the ambitions of global elites clash with the Constitution of the United States of America.
(BTW, if anyone at Twitter is reading this, the appeal process for Twitter is still broken and my account is still suspended.)
Update: Looks like technical problems are doing a better job of silencing Donald Trump than the EU right now…
Tags: 2024 Presidential Race, censorship, Digital Services Act, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, EU, Media Watch, Social Justice Warriors, Thierry Breton, Twitter
The EEC uses 1984 as a how to guide rather than a warning.
Remind me again why we liberated them from the Nazis…
I think it had something to do with the Nazis planning to come after us once they were done in Europe. Making Nazism extinct had the unfortunate side effect of liberating Europe. As did grinding the Soviet Union into dust and sweeping them into the dustbine of history.
“[DSA regulations] “notably means ensuring, on one hand, that freedom of expression and of information, including media freedom and pluralism, are effectively protected and, on the other hand, that all proportionate and effective mitigation measures are put in place regarding the amplification of harmful content in connection with relevant events, including live streaming, which, if unaddressed, might increase the risk profile of X and generate detrimental effects on civic discourse and public security.”
Americans prefer being governed by their own regulations on civic discourse: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or the press;..
“Civic discourse” is not measured by its contribution to “public security”. Congressional authority over speech stops where the church door begins.
It is noteworthy that that Jesus’ judge, Pontius Pilate, was agnostic concerning the nature of truth: “What is truth?”
In the political realm, Power is Truth. “Do you not know I have power to crucify you and power to release you”?
To which Jesus replies, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.”
Thus, both religious truth (True truth) and political power are transcendent, being equally subject to God’s primary authority. Therefore, civil authority cannot legitimately claim primacy over the church, the press, or assemblies of people. Significantly, both church and “assembly” are represented by one word in the Greek New Testament: “ekklesia”.
In Greek usage, a political gathering that convened to consider the public’s welfare was called an ekklesia.
Consider the wisdom embraced by all those who authored our country’s founding documents. They clearly delineated the separate and distinct realms of established political power and the free association of public assemblies to pursue and propagate truth through discourse and disclosure—free speech and free press.
Issue Federal arrest warrants for Breton and his ilk (e.g., British police commissioners) if they ever come to US-controlled jurisdictions.
Or better yet, rendition them. Breton can wake up in a Gitmo cell. The EU can go f* itself. Keep it up and we’ll blow up another natural gas pipeline.
We’ll see who has the power to make the others follow whose nation’s laws.
As a practical note, the Biden/Harris fed government would likely look favorably at an EU extradition warrant concerning this.
When you get down to a strange and threatening legal fight, it’s probably more important to look at the judges than to look at the actual law.
“As a practical note, the Biden/Harris fed government would likely look favorably at an EU extradition warrant concerning this.”
No doubt, but I suspect they have enough political survival instincts to NOT follow through. They would trigger an unmitigated disaster of insurrection if they did so.