European Commission accuses Social Media Platform X of violating EU values with blackmail
Fidesz Group in European Parliament Raises Concerns Over Alleged Blackmail of Social Media Platform X by European Commission
Kinga Gál, chair of the Fidesz Group in the European Parliament, along with vice-president of the Patriots for Europe (PfE) Tamás Deutsch, and members from France, Spain, Austria, and the Czech Republic of the PfE have jointly submitted a question for written answer to the European Commission regarding alleged proceedings against the social media platform X.
The Fidesz Group expressed serious concerns in their press release that the European Commission may be exploiting EU laws to exert pressure on X and censor certain political viewpoints. In mid-July, the European Commission accused X of violating the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). In response, Elon Musk, owner of the social networking site, revealed that:
“The Commission had previously offered them an illegal secret deal in which they offered to waive the penalty in exchange for censoring content published on the platform. Musk said that while other platforms accepted the deal, X did not.”
Members of the European Parliament are troubled by these allegations, suggesting that the European Commission may be selectively applying EU regulations by resorting to blackmail tactics to compel social media platforms to censor politically undesirable content.
In a tweet, Kinga Gál highlighted the issue and stated that the biased application of EU media regulation, censorship of political opinions, and blackmailing X are unacceptable.
MEPs have directed questions to the European Commission seeking clarification on the proposed secret deal, and whether the Commission believes that threatening and punishing platforms for refusing to censor certain political opinions aligns with EU values such as the rule of law and fundamental rights. They are also keen to understand how the Commission ensures that the enforcement of the DSA does not result in the censorship of specific political opinions or curtail freedom of speech.
The Fidesz Group’s actions underscore the growing concerns over potential threats to freedom of speech and media independence within the EU regulatory framework. Further developments on this matter are eagerly awaited by stakeholders and observers alike.
[Featured image: Hungary Today] [Source: Hungary Today]
