EU warns Elon Musk ahead of Trump interview to keep hate speech off X

The European Commission on Monday warned X Corp. owner Elon Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino that the company may face penalties and restrictions in Europe if it doesn’t address the spread of illegal content, including incitements to violence and hate speech, on its social media platform.

“I am writing to you in the context of recent events in the United Kingdom and in relation to the planned broadcast on your platform X of a live conversation between a US presidential candidate and yourself, which will also be accessible to users in the EU,” Thierry Breton, European commissioner for the internal market, wrote in a letter that was posted Monday on X.

“We are monitoring the potential risks in the EU associated with the dissemination of content that may incite violence, hate and racism in conjunction with major political – or societal – events around the world, including debates and interviews in the context of elections,” wrote Breton.

“I therefore urge you to promptly ensure the effectiveness of your systems and to report measures taken to my team,” he added.

Following receipt of the letter, Yaccarino called it “an unprecedented attempt to stretch a law intended to apply in Europe to political activities in the US.”

“It also patronizes European citizens, suggesting they are incapable of listening to a conversation and drawing their own conclusions,” Yaccarino wrote on X.

Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla, is set to host Donald Trump on Monday evening on Spaces, the streaming platform of X.

Billed as an unscripted conversation by Musk, the Spaces session will be one of the few campaign events Trump does this week. The Republican former president is still trying to find his footing in a newly competitive race against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

The commissioner reminded Musk of due diligence obligations set out in the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) — legislation requiring social networks and streaming media platforms to prevent the spread of hate speech and other harmful content on their platforms — amid an investigation of X into potential breaches of the law.

Breton warned Musk that the EU was prepared to “make full use of our toolbox” to protect EU citizens from “serious harm.”

Given X Corp.’s reported 300 million users worldwide (of which one-third are based in the EU), X is “designated as a Very Large Online Platform” with a legal obligation to follow European laws and specifically the Digital Services Act, wrote Breton.

Riots that have taken place in the U.K. in recent weeks were sparked by disinformation that spread on X and other social media platforms, falsely identifying the…