EU Warns Elon Musk of Sanctions Over Journalist Suspensions
European Union officials issue a stark warning to Elon Musk after Twitter suspends several journalists, citing violations of the Digital Services Act. Potential penalties include massive fines and even regional access blocks.
European Union lawmakers issue a direct warning to Elon Musk after Twitter suspends several journalists who cover him. EU vice-president Věra Jourová publicly states that these arbitrary account suspensions violate the bloc's Digital Services Act, which mandates respect for media freedom and fundamental rights.
The incoming EU regulation strictly prohibits large online platforms from acting in a discriminatory manner when enforcing their terms of service. If Musk fails to comply with these rules, Twitter faces severe consequences that include fines scaling up to six percent of its global annual turnover.
In the most extreme cases of non-compliance, the European Commission possesses the power to apply to EU courts to completely block a violating service from operating within the region. The EU also proposes a separate European Media Freedom Act to further prevent large platforms from unjustly removing professionally produced media content.