Zuckerberg and Musk

EU Commissioner wants to enforce rules consistently

The EU's aim is to "create a safe online environment for everyone", emphasized Virkkunen.

(Bild: AFP/Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD)

In light of the attacks by tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, EU Digital Commissioner Henna Virkkunen has announced consistent enforcement of the rules applicable to online networks in the European Union. "Our job is to ensure that the rights of European citizens are respected and that our legislation is followed," Virkkunen wrote on Musk's X on Saturday.

The EU's aim is to "create a level playing field and a safe online environment for everyone", emphasized the Finn. "In Europe, we want to create a digital environment that is safe and fair." Virkkunen did not mention Zuckerberg and Musk by name, but her statements can be understood as a response to their attacks.

Zuckerberg accuses EU of "censorship"
Zuckerberg had accused the EU of "censorship". In an interview on Friday with podcaster Joe Rogan, the head of the Meta Group appealed to future US President Donald Trump to protect big tech companies from fines in the EU.

A few days earlier, Zuckerberg had announced in a course reversal that his company would discontinue the fact-checking program on the Facebook and Instagram services, initially only in the USA. He justified this by saying that "fact-checkers were simply too politically biased" and "destroyed more trust than they created, especially in the US".

Swing to Musk's course
Zuckerberg announced that Meta services in the US would instead introduce a system of "community notes", where users can add their own context under a post. The head of Meta thus swung into line with Musk, who holds right-wing populist views and spreads conspiracy theories and has been appointed a government advisor by Trump.

Musk has been fiercely attacking the EU over its regulations for some time. The EU rules for online services (Digital Services Act, DSA) require the major online platforms to delete false information and "illegal content" such as glorification of terrorism or depictions of sexual violence more quickly than before, among other things.