The European Union’s censors are outraged that Elon Musk’s social media platform, Twitter‑X, flouts their demands to gag users.
So they’re gearing up to fine X more than a billion dollars. The EU will also be demanding “product changes.”
Another EU investigation reported by The New York Times “is broader and … could lead to further penalties,” but amounts to the same thing: punishing Musk’s free-speech company for disobeying orders to prevent and punish speech.
All this is rationalized by a new EU law to compel social media platforms to police users. One would be hard put to find a clearer case of governmental censorship-by-delegation. It’s not even taking place behind closed doors, as was the case regarding the U.S. Government and Twitter before Mr. Musk bought the platform.
These European censors brag about it.
X says it will do its best to “protect freedom of speech in Europe.”
If push comes to shove and EU goons do not back down, what X should do has been indicated by the smaller platforms social media platforms Gab and Kiwi Farms.
First, refuse to pay a penny of any imposed fine.
Second, block access to X within the European Union, advising all account holders who try to log on why having an EU IP address is now a bad idea and why using a good virtual private network (VPN) to access X is now a good idea.
By disguising point of origin and encrypting traffic, a good VPN can help people living under tyrannical regimes like the European Union to evade censorship.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
Illustration created with Krea and Firefly
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3 replies on “X Marks the Censor”
Since European states have not only begun to ban real opposition but have even engaged in interstate coöperation in these efforts, peaceful change is no longer available to their subject peoples. Americans should lend ever reasonable assistance as those people pursue change by other means.
Doesn’t X charge users for access? Users have to open up their wallets to gain access. What would prevent EU govts from debanking (?) or otherwise fining EU residents who are X users? Govt has access to much of the financial network. It’s not clear that a VPN will provide enough protection for individual users against Big Brother.
X charges users for the absurd blue check marks, and for an ability to post longer entries, but basic service is without pecuniary cost.