Twitter: Macron moderated “clear and frank discussion” with Elon Musk
Emmanuel Macron and Elon Musk clashed on Twitter on Friday to cheers over content moderation, with the entrepreneur taking decisions that have so far defied the advice of the French president and other European leaders.
“I’m talking about it here on Twitter because that’s what it’s about. This afternoon I met with Elon Musk and we had a clear and frank discussion,” Emmanuel Macron wrote during his state visit to the United States. The interview took place in New Orleans and lasted for an hour. This was not previously announced by the Elysée and was kept away from the media.
“Transparent terms of use, significant strengthening of content moderation and protection of freedom of expression: Twitter must strive to comply with European rules,” the head of state added in a series of tweets.
He also said he discussed “future green industry projects such as electric vehicles and battery manufacturing” with the Tesla co-founder.
“It was an honor to see you again,” Elon Musk said, adding that he was “looking forward” to “exciting projects in France.” The world’s richest man bought the influential platform at the end of October for $44 billion.
His absolutist view of freedom of expression worries many users, authorities and advertisers who fear the rise of hate and misinformation.
“Elon Musk Confirms Twitter Participation in Christchurch Call. “Terrorist and violent content has no place anywhere,” the French president said, referring to the initiative launched by several states and NGOs after the 2019 murders in Christchurch, New Zealand, whose images became available online within hours.
Musk has ended the fight against fake news about Covid
The businessman did not react to this point. He initially promised a content moderation board responsible for all major decisions, but he himself eventually decided to reinstate many accounts, starting with former US President Donald Trump, who was banned after the January 2021 Capitol attack.
It also, according to Emmanuel Macron, “put an end to the fight against disinformation related to Covid, which is a huge problem. “I think we should solve this issue head-on, I am in favor of more regulation, on the contrary. We’re doing it (in France, editor’s note) and we’re doing it at the European level,” he said in an interview with ABC on Thursday. Freedom of expression “implies responsibilities and limitations. You can’t go out and make racist or anti-Semitic statements, that’s what I’m defending. It is an important point,” he added.
Already on Wednesday, the European commissioner for the internal market, Thierry Breton, told Elon Musk that “a lot of work still needs to be done.” Twitter will “need to significantly strengthen content moderation (…) and fight misinformation decisively,” according to the Telephone Hub report.
Twitter’s new owner has cut more than half of its California team’s workforce, and content moderation teams have not been spared. According to several NGOs, including the Center Against Digital Hate, racist, homophobic, misogynistic and anti-Semitic messages on the platform have increased “shockingly” over the past month.
“Totally false,” Elon Musk tweeted in response to a New York Times article detailing the association’s findings. He claimed that the number of times users see tweets containing hate speech “continues to decline”. The libertarian entrepreneur recently clarified his personal limitations on free speech.
The account of the American rapper Kanye West was suspended on the charge of “incitement to violence” after he published statements admiring Hitler in particular.
And Elon Musk opposes the return of convicted far-right American assassin Alex Jones, who claimed the school shooting was just a staged anti-gun show.
The multi-billionaire, who experienced the death of his first child, explained that he is “ruthless against anyone who uses the death of children for financial, political or fame”.
Emmanuel Macron also concluded his tweets: “We will work with Twitter to improve the protection of children online. Elon Musk confirmed this to me today. Let’s protect our children better online! »
