The EU’s top internet enforcer, Thierry Breton, made a bold move in his duel with Elon Musk over disinformation on the X/Twitter platform. Breton joined the rival platform Bluesky to further rile Musk and challenge X’s spread of illegal content and disinformation. The move by Breton comes as X faces scrutiny under the new EU law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), which carries potential penalties of up to six percent of global turnover for breaching rules on moderating content.
On the previous day, Breton had warned Musk about X spreading disinformation related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. He highlighted that X would be held accountable under the DSA, and then later posted on X that “… even though the grass is not (always) greener on the other side, the sky is sometimes… bluer” in a clear reference to Bluesky. Breton also shared his new Bluesky profile on X, including his Bluesky handle and a bio description.
Bluesky, a platform led by former Twitter executives, has been growing rapidly in the US. However, it is currently invitation-only and has a smaller user base compared to X. Nonetheless, its users have reported a better experience with less trolling, spam, and disinformation compared to X and other social media platforms.
Musk, a self-proclaimed free-speech “absolutist,” has made changes to X since acquiring Twitter, including firing content moderation staff, allowing back banned figures like former US President Donald Trump, and changing the platform’s name to X. Musk has also taken legal action against Threads, an alternative platform launched by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, due to concerns over EU regulatory oversight.
In response to Breton’s warning on disinformation, Musk claimed that X’s policy is open source and transparent, which aligns with the EU’s support for such an approach. Breton called on Musk to demonstrate his commitment to walking the talk and emphasized that his team is ready to enforce DSA compliance rigorously.
Breton sees his actions and the DSA as efforts to tame the online “Wild West.” The DSA imposes stricter rules on big online platforms and holds them accountable for moderating content. While Breton does not decide what constitutes illegal online content, he actively draws attention to platforms that may be in violation of EU laws or legislation in EU member countries.
X has faced a decline in revenues and criticism over disinformation. Advertisers and notable figures have distanced themselves from the platform, and it has been identified as having the biggest proportion of disinformation compared to other major platforms in the EU. X’s credibility has been further undermined by the influx of misleading posts, false presentations of unrelated images as part of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the removal of news article links.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) has also announced its legal action against X in France to enforce EU law on payments for online content usage. The clash between Breton and Musk highlights the ongoing battle over disinformation and platform responsibility in the digital age.
