‘Chief Twit’ Elon Musk reaches out to EU commissioner over content concerns

Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, has reached out to European Union Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton to address content-moderation concerns, an EU official told POLITICO, confirming an earlier Reuters report.

Breton had reminded Musk on Friday that Twitter has to abide by the EU’s new content-moderation rulebook, the Digital Services Act, which aims to crack down on illegal content. The rules became official last Thursday, and will gradually roll out over the next year.

“In Europe, the bird will by our European rules,” Breton tweeted, adding the hashtag #DSA, replying to Musk’s tweet “the bird is freed” after his takeover of Twitter.

Musk has now reportedly reassured the Commission that Twitter will comply with the new rules, and agreed to meet with Breton in the coming weeks. Breton already met with Musk in early May, shortly after Musk’s plan to buy Twitter emerged. Musk then said the EU’s plans were “exactly aligned with my thinking.”