“Elon Musk agreed with me”
Musk and Wissing speak ‘constructively’
01/05/2023 7:36 p.m
In December, Digital Minister Wissing was “concerned” about developments on Twitter since the takeover by Elon Musk. He uses a trip to the USA to meet Musk. He only agrees for a very short time and seems to be able to allay Wissing’s concerns.
Digital Minister Volker Wissing has fewer concerns about developments on Twitter after a short-term conversation with multi-billionaire Elon Musk. After a meeting in San Francisco, the FDP politician wrote with a view to a planned digital law (DSA) – and of course on Twitter: “My position is clear: the platforms’ self-commitment against #disinformation must be strictly observed until the #DSA comes into force kicks.” Musk shares his opinion on this. However, Wissing expressed this in English: “Elon Musk agreed with me,” wrote the minister. Next to his post, Wissing put a picture showing him with the tech billionaire. Musk has not yet responded to the post in which Wissing linked him.
The meeting during the minister’s trip to San Francisco and Las Vegas was organized by representatives of the German embassy, said a spokeswoman for his ministry. “Elon Musk’s commitment was made at very short notice – the evening before the interview,” she added. Wissing and Musk spoke openly and at length. The federal government will continue to critically monitor the situation on Twitter. The focus of the trip to the USA will be on the topics of digital transformation, artificial intelligence and autonomous driving.
New rules will apply soon
In December, Wissing said in an interview on Twitter: “I am concerned about developments since the takeover by Elon Musk”. He has not yet decided whether he will use the platform in the future. The requirements of the Digital Services Act (DSA) will apply across the EU from mid-February 2024. For particularly large platforms, the rules should apply from September 2023. Among other things, the DSA stipulates that hate speech and other illegal content on the Internet must be deleted more quickly. It is intended to ensure stricter supervision of online platforms and more consumer protection.
Musk took over Twitter in October, replacing senior staff and making controversial changes. With great concern he “noted Twitter’s platform regulations, their abrupt changes and arbitrary application,” wrote State Secretary for Economic Affairs Sven Giegold in a letter to the EU Commission in December. The Brussels authority should carry out the necessary checks as soon as possible in order to designate Twitter as a “gatekeeper”. Gatekeepers are companies with a particularly strong market position that meet a number of criteria. Special conditions apply to them, such as restrictions on the handling of users’ personal data. The corresponding law, the Digital Markets Act, will become applicable from May.
Wissing’s ministry said: “Like every company, Twitter must in future comply with the rules of the Digital Services Act.” The DSA would set clear EU-wide rules to take action against illegal content, increasing disinformation and bots in social networks.