Elon Musk’s X tells the EU: We’re a safe space for free speech
SUMMARY
Elon Musk's social media platform X defended its content moderation and free speech policies in a risk assessment submitted to the European Commission under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The platform doubled down on its commitment to being a "town square of the internet," aiming to "promote and protect freedom of expression." Since Musk’s acquisition in 2022, X has moved from a "binary, absolutist" moderation approach to a more "reasonable, proportionate and effective" system, focusing on demoting harmful content rather than imposing outright bans. X pointed to tools like Community Notes and verified checkmarks as key safeguards that help reduce risks related to illegal content, election threats, and user safety, bringing risks to a “low to medium level.” However, X acknowledged "high residual risks" of terrorist content and 'election disinformation', partly due to evolving tactics like generative AI. The European Commission is currently investigating X for alleged DSA violations.
