As Elon Musk uses his global propaganda platform, X, to target various governments throughout Europe, politicians in those countries are beginning to fight back. This week, as Musk continued to promote a far-right political party in Germany, European Union MPs suggested that the EU institute new regulatory restrictions on X, with one MEP even suggesting that the platform’s recommendation algorithm be shut off.
Musk has spent the last few weeks engaged in a campaign against various European governments. The most dramatic conflict has involved Musk’s war on Keir Starmer in Britain, though Musk has also spent a significant amount of time promoting a far-right political party in Germany that is said to have ties to neo-Nazis. The Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has been characterized as a far-right political movement that promotes German nationalism, is hostile to immigrants and Islam, and emphasizes a kind of European Reaganomics that favors the wealthy. Musk has announced an upcoming interview with the leader of AfD, Alice Weidel, to be streamed live on X.
Now, the German newspaper Handelsblatt has gotten ahold of a draft of a letter written by EU MPs which asks the EU Commission to consider new regulatory action against Musk’s X. The letter states that the billionaire’s “personal involvement in the German federal election campaign, his upcoming key position in the U.S. government and his power to influence the political agenda in Germany through the algorithm control on Platform X” represents a “systemic risk.” It also calls for “urgent interim measures by the Commission to protect the federal election.” The letter was reportedly sent to Henna Virkkunen, the EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.
Handelsblatt reports that the initiative is expected to “find a broad majority in the EU Parliament,” which makes sense, given how much Musk has been pissing Europeans off. The outlet goes on to quote Alexandra Geese, an MEP of the Greens party from Germany, who authored the letter. “The Commission must urgently order immediate measures for X,” Geese told Handelsblatt. She added that switching off X’s recommendation algorithm “would not delete a single piece of content, but [would allow] freedom of expression…[to] be restored for everyone.”
Geese’s suggestion makes sense, given Musk’s blatant intrusion into German politics. That said, even if X’s “For You” tab were to be nixed, it wouldn’t necessarily stop the platform from algorithmically manipulating what German users see in their feeds. X’s algorithms are notably closed source, so there’s no telling what the company could be doing to boost certain types of accounts and content.
Gizmodo reached out to X for comment.
Musk’s hostile, erratic behavior, has inspired backlash from European politicians—even those who previously associated with him. This week, French leader Emmanuel Macron seemed to swipe at Musk, saying, in a speech to other French leaders: “Who would have thought, if we had been told that the owner of one of the largest social networks in the world would support the new international reactionary movement and intervene directly in elections?”
France appears to have doubled down on its support for its European neighbors since then. “France stands in solidarity with its German friends,” Macron’s European Affairs Minister, Benjamin Haddad, told the Handelsblatt. He added that Musk’s comments required “vigilance” and said that such “a powerful private actor, no matter what its nationality or attitude cannot interfere in the international affairs of a sovereign country in such a direct way.”