Elon Musk says he’s ‘very much on the same page’ as the EU on social media laws

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

The European Union has a package of web platform regulations. The DSA requires large platforms to police illegal content and assess the risk of harm their services pose, among other things, and Musk appeared in a short video to confirm his support.

Musk said in a video that it was aligned with the future goals for the platform. I think we're both pretty much the same person, and I think we want to do something to benefit Europe. He said we are very much on the same page.

The video shows that Musk's priorities are similar to the DSA, and that moderation should match the laws of a country in which it is operating. Musk has suggested making the recommendation system open source, while the DSA would need large platforms to explain their system to the EU. Similarly, the DSA asks platforms to assess the risk of harm that bots and fake accounts pose, while Musk has pledged to authenticate all humans. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) strikes at practices like Apple attaching a 30 percent charge to App Store purchases, something Musk has dubbed a "de facto global tax on the internet."

The EU will require companies to identify and mitigate possible social risks that are posed by their platforms, potentially from legal as well as illegal content. It asks companies to work with the EU on fighting misinformation and promoting democracy, and encourages the use of crisis protocols that could limit the flow of inaccurate information during earthquakes, or other natural disasters. The First Amendment of the United States does not allow the government to mandate speech. Musk's other businesses, likeTesla, rely heavily on markets like Germany.

If people want less free speech, the government will pass laws to that effect. That poses challenges on a global platform. While the DSA only applies to users in Europe, its policies could be difficult to square with Musk's commitment to speech maximalism in the US since moderation in one country can affect the content that people across the world see. If those goals conflict, Musk has a lot to lose by angering the EU.