United States billionaire Elon Musk has assured European Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton that he will comply with new EU content moderation rules ahead of his impending takeover of Twitter.
“I agree with everything you said, really. I think we’re very much at the same mind,’’ Musk said in a video with Breton published on Twitter in Texas.
Breton met with the Tesla CEO at a factory manufacturing his electric vehicles ahead of EU-U.S. talks to coordinate industry regulations.
Musk’s decision to purchase Twitter has prompted concerns in the EU about regulatory compliance over disinformation and harmful content if the company was taken private by a single owner.
However, Breton has previously said he did not see any enforcement issues even if Twitter was solely in Musk’s hands.
“Any company in the EU will have to meet our obligations, it’s as simple as that,’’ he told dpa in an interview in April.
Breton was referring to the recently passed Digital Services Act (DSA), which defined the responsibilities of technology and internet companies and provided for stricter supervision of online platforms.
Those who do not comply with the new rules could face fines of up to 6 per cent of their worldwide annual turnover.
The Twitter board accepted Musk’s bid to purchase the social media platform for 44 billion dollars (42 billion euros) in April.
The transaction was to be completed by year-end, subject to shareholder approval.
