Ads on Musk-owned social media site risk causing ‘reputational damage’ to the EU, its executive says in internal note.

The European Commission has decided to stop advertising on social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk, over “widespread concerns relating to the spread of disinformation,” according to an internal note obtained by POLITICO’s Brussels Playbook.

In a note sent to all heads of service and directors general, the Commission’s Deputy Chief Spokesperson Dana Spinant said disinformation on X, especially in relation to the Israel-Hamas war, had led the institution to “recommend to temporarily suspend advertising on this platform until further notice to avoid risks of reputational damage to the Commission.”

X has been under growing scrutiny in Europe as a result of the bloc’s new content moderation law, the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission, which enforces the law, in October sent a formal request for information to the company to explain how its handling of illegal content and disinformation connected to Hamas’ October 7 attack complies with the DSA.

  • SatanicNotMessianicEnglish
    31·
    7 months ago

    I really think he’s just that stupid. Everything he’s done at Twitter and at every other company he’s run has been due to the same fundamental error - thinking that he’s smarter than anyone else in the room, including people who are experts in fields he’s never even heard of. He has every indication of clinical narcissism, exactly like Donald Trump. He’s wrong, and when it becomes obvious that he’s wrong, he becomes infuriated and doubles down - exactly like Donald Trump.

    I think that Twitter is going to become the canonical example of Hanlon’s Razor. Elon at Twitter is going to be our version of Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra, except it’s going to mean someone not just shitting but having explosive diarrhea in the bed, and then showing it off like it’s something to be proud of. And still having a legion of followers who can’t help but say what a visionary position it is to shit in your own bed.