EU rules don't prohibit Musk's live stream with German far-right, but to be assessed 'carefully' by bloc

'This event taking place is allowed. Now, we will see, in the context of the current proceedings, if the risk stemming from such a live stream has also been analyzed and carefully assessed,'

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The European Commission said that Elon Musk's controversial plan for a live stream on his platform X with a German extreme-right leader, Alice Weidel, on Thursday is allowed under EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) but will be analyzed for potential violations.

The planned stream provoked discussions over possible electoral interference as it comes ahead of snap elections in Germany on Feb. 23.

"Nothing in the DSA prohibits such a live stream. What we want, however, is that the owner of the platform, of the platform, or the provider of the platform, make sure that the platform is not misused or giving a preferential treatment to certain types of content or an increased visibility to just one type of content," spokesperson Thomas Regnier told reporters in Brussels on Monday.

"So again, this event taking place is allowed. Now, we will see, in the context of the current proceedings, if the risk stemming from such a live stream has also been analyzed and carefully assessed," Regnier said.

He underlined that Musk is "allowed to express his personal views and his political opinions in the EU online and offline," adding that the DSA "doesn't censor" any type of content.

However, he reminded that the EU Commission has already opened foreign proceedings against X in December 2023, including "suspected breaches in areas related to the management of risks in civic discourse and electoral processes."

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