Elon Musk has informed the European Commission that, now that Twitter is under his ownership, the social network will abide by strict European regulations on the monitoring of illicit online content, according to European Union sources on Monday.
In a previously undisclosed conversation last week, Musk informed the EU’s industry director Thierry Breton that he intended to adhere to the region’s Digital Services Act, which imposes stiff fines on businesses that fail to manage illicit content.
The self-described free speech absolutist agreed to hold a meeting with Breton, a former French finance minister, in the coming weeks, two EU officials familiar with the discussions told Reuters.
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The exchange came after Breton took to Twitter to warn Musk about the new European legislation on Friday.
“In Europe, the bird will fly by our EU rules,” Breton tweeted on Friday.
EU lawmakers approved the landmark rules to rein in tech giants over the summer, which will require online platforms to do more to police the internet for illegal content, with big platforms required to have more moderators than small ones.
Companies will face fines of up to 6% of annual global turnover for breaches of Digital Services Act.
The assurances from Musk appeared to suggest a pragmatic attitude from the CEO of electric car maker Tesla Inc, who has previously expressed his desire to see Twitter with fewer limits on content.
Musk has so far offered little details on how he will run the company after his $44 billion buyout.
He has stated that he intends to make job cuts, which has Twitter’s 7,500 employees worried about the future. On Thursday, he added that he bought Twitter “to attempt to benefit humanity, whom I love,” rather than in order to increase his financial gain.
After meeting in May, Breton and Musk indicated that they were in accord about adhering to EU regulations.
The EU official claims in a video that Musk was briefed on the Digital Services Act following their meeting in May. Breton uploaded the video on Twitter. Breton remarked, “It fits quite nicely with what you think we ought to accomplish. In the May video, Musk replied, “I think it’s completely aligned with my thoughts.
