The European Union warned Elon Musk on Tuesday that Twitter, now owned by Tesla’s chief executive, must comply with the bloc’s new law that aims to stop the online spread of hate speech and other illicit content, under penalty of substantial fines or a continent-wide ban. – possibly foreshadowing a global regulatory fight on the social media platform.

“If Twitter does not follow our law, there are penalties.”

Less than 24 hours after Musk bought Twitter in a $44 billion deal, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton sent an unequivocal message to the world’s richest man via the FinancialTimes.

“Elon, there are rules,” Breton said. “You are welcome but these are our rules. Your rules will not apply here.”

Breton’s comments come just days after Brussels lawmakers approved the Digital Services Act, landmark legislation that aims to minimize the harmful effects associated with social media and e-commerce by requiring Big Tech companies to remove content. and products deemed illegal by an EU member. States.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, European Commission spokesperson Johannes Bahrke reminded Musk that “our Digital Services Act applies to all major platforms, to ensure that their power over the public debate is subject to democratically validated rules to better protect fundamental rights online”.

When Musk took over Twitter on Monday, he called free speech “the foundation of a functioning democracy” and described the Silicon Valley-based app that hundreds of millions of people rely on for information like “the place of the digital city where vital issues for the future of humanity are debated.”

Journalist Anand Giridharadas versus that Musk is “doing is what the plutocrats have done… posing as the solution to the very problem that they are.”

In his pitch to take over Twitter, Musk, a self-proclaimed ‘free speech absolutist’ who has used the app to attack regulators and critics, vowed to weaken content moderation on the site. . Republican lawmakers hope that under Musk’s ownership, Twitter could reinstate former President Donald Trump, who was banned for repeatedly violating the platform’s rules governing hate speech and misinformation, culminating in the Capitol uprising of January 6.

Breton, meanwhile, said he wanted to give Musk a “reality check” before relaxing one of the platform’s content moderation policies. If Twitter fails to comply with the Digital Services Act, the EU commissioner has warned, it could be banned in Europe.

“Anyone who wants to benefit from this market will have to respect our rules,” Breton said. FT. “Table [of Twitter] will have to ensure that if it operates in Europe, it will have to meet the obligations, including moderation, open algorithms, freedom of speech, rules transparency, obligations to comply with our own rules on hate speech, revenge pornography, [and] harassment.”

“Yes [Twitter] does not comply with our law,” he added, “there are penalties – 6% of turnover and, if they continue, a ban on operating in Europe.”

As the newspaper reports:

The Digital Services Act requires Twitter to disclose to regulators how it handles content such as misinformation and war propaganda. The groundbreaking rules are part of a bigger push by Brussels to limit the power of big online platforms, including Facebook and Google. Last month, the EU also unveiled the Digital Markets Act, aimed at limiting the power of Big Tech, including by banning platforms from promoting their own services before their competitors.

“Whether it’s cars or social media, any company operating in Europe must comply with our rules, regardless of their ownership,” Breton said. tweeted tuesday.

“Mr. Musk knows that well,” Breton added. “He knows the European car rules and will quickly adapt to the Digital Services Act.”