Responding To Elon Musk's Aspiration To Make Twitter The Square Of Freedom Of Speech, European Union Reminds There Are Applicable Regulations

Thierry Breton, remind Elon Musk that the European Union has its own rules for digital freedom. (photo: twitter @ThierryBreton)

JAKARTA - The European Union's head of internal markets said on Tuesday, April 26 that it is not up to Brussels, the EU headquarters, to comment on Elon Musk's acquisition of the social media platform Twitter. But they cautioned that the big economic bloc now has strict rules for online platforms to deal with illegal content.

"It's up to Twitter how it conforms ... to our rules," Thierry Breton told Reuters of the deal that was sealed by Tesla's chief executive in buying Twitter Inc. worth 44 billion US dollars (IDR 636.6 trillion).

So far, the European Union has made very strict rules to limit content that they consider illegal such as hoaxes, provocations, racism and LGBT in the form of content on social media. It also refers to the Digital Services Act (DCA) which has been approved by the European Union and will soon be enforced there.

"I think Elon Musk knows Europe very well. He knows very well that we have some rules for the auto industry ... and he understands that. So in Europe, to protect free speech and to protect individuals, every company is going to have to fulfill this obligation,” added Breton.

The European Union warns that free speech is guaranteed and protected by law. But unlike Elon Musk's assumption of being free to use Twitter as a place to voice their opinions.