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European democracies face a new threat of online influence and disinformation, not from autocracies like Russia, but from the United States. Elon Musk, the owner of X and an ally of Donald Trump, is using his network to denigrate leaders he doesn’t like and promote the extreme right opinions and politicians. Meanwhile, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is taking a Musk-style approach that prioritizes “freedom of speech” over privacy. independent fact checking on their Facebook and Instagram platforms. European leaders may fear that if they clash with these American billionaires in trying to safeguard their democracies, they could now face retaliation from the White House itself.
The power conferred by Musk’s immense wealth and social media reach has been amplified by his closeness to the president-elect of the United States. Chief X seems determined to cause political unrest abroad. He has endorsed The far-right AfD party ahead of the German elections and will do so on Thursday. organize a live broadcast with his candidate for chancellor Alice Weidel. He has baselessly accused British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of being “complicit in mass rape”, in reference to a decade-old scandal. child rape gangs — brutally defamed a ministerand called for the release of a jailed far-right activist. He asked his 211 million X followers if the United States should free the United Kingdom from its “tyrannical rule.”
goal Zuckerberg So far he does not use his platforms to promote his own or extremist views. But replacing independent fact-checking with It also seems like a cowardly attempt to win Trump’s favor after past frictions. In addition to explicitly aligning himself with Musk’s (and Trump’s) idea of ”free expression,” the Meta boss said he would work with the incoming president to oppose “institutionalized censorship” of online platforms in Europe. This creates a clash between a laissez-faire approach by US social media and the EU and UK requirements for regulating content.
In responding to Musk, in particular, democratic leaders in Europe and elsewhere should avoid a panicked overreaction that plays into his hands. Starmer hit the right note this week by declaringwithout naming the owner of X, that those who spread lies and misinformation online “have crossed a line.” Musk has managed, however, to place the United Kingdom political agenda by artificially returning a historic scandal, however shocking and iniquitous, to the spotlight.
Some tolerance may also be warranted for uncertainty over how long-lasting the friendship between Musk and Trump will prove to be; Divisions are showing in the pro-Trump coalition. A fight would somewhat diminish Musk’s influence and the risks to politicians elsewhere trying to contain him.
However, European leaders should make clear that there are rules that Musk and Zuckerberg’s networks must respect. EU Digital Services Act and UK Online Safety Act threaten heavy fines for large online platforms that fail to curb illicit content, including forms of misinformation. An EU investigation published last summer preliminary findings that X of Musk violated the DSA in areas including allegedly deceptive techniques to manipulate user behavior, advertising transparency, and data access for researchers.
EU and UK rules are far from perfect. Both jurisdictions must be careful that technology regulation does not, as Zuckerberg accused this week, stifle innovation. But accusations of left-wing bias in content moderation in Europe serve as a smokescreen for the political and personal agendas of Trump, Musk and Zuckerberg. Europe’s democratic values are so fundamental that its leaders should not shy away from applying rules designed to protect them, even if that risks clashing with bosses X or Meta, or the returning American president.