European Union demands measures against disinformation from Musk and X

On the eve of the continent’s parliamentary elections, the European Union orders digital platforms to expand their control measures. The bloc fears a wave of misinformation during the campaign to elect the new European Parliament in June.

Big Techs will be fined in case of violations and must be punished up to 6% of the equivalent of their global revenue. The decision goes against what the Brazilian and European extreme right has alleged as censorship and restriction of freedom of expression.

For journalist Jamil Chade, from UOL, sources stated that the requirements will be applied to the X platform (formerly Twitter), owned by billionaire Elon Musk. According to the journalist’s sources, the South African’s social network is the center of concern for the bloc’s authorities.

Companies like Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, in addition to X, will have to demonstrate what they are doing to prevent networks from being used to spread false content.

Last month, the EU even produced a guide on what each company could do. If none of the suggestions are used, the company will still have to prove that the measures adopted are “equally effective”.

At the end of April, the Europeans plan to carry out a first “stress test” with the main platforms. Even though Musk’s company has withdrawn from a joint industry initiative to respond to electoral threats, the EU insists that the company will have to follow its rules.

Recently, Musk twice threatened to obstruct Brazilian justice by publishing that he would lift the restrictions on profiles blocked by the STF and the TSE (Superior Electoral Court), during the 2022 presidential elections.

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