Tech titans clash with EU over "protectionism" claims
Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk have accused the EU of protectionism and censorship, urging the administration of Donald Trump to intervene. The European Commission, however, defends its right to enforce EU regulations pertaining to digital giants.
Following criticism from the heads of American tech companies, the European Commission reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing EU regulations concerning social media platforms. Thomas Regnier, a spokesperson for the European Commission, informed journalists in Brussels that companies offering services in the EU, irrespective of their origin or headquarters, must comply with EU legislation.
Billionaire accuses Europe of "censorship"
These accusations arose after Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Meta, accused Europe of protectionism and "censorship." In an interview with the popular American podcaster Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg urged US President-elect Donald Trump to defend the major American tech companies against EU sanctions.
Zuckerberg claimed that the EU had imposed fines on tech firms amounting to "more than $30 billion over 10–20 years," arguing that its policy towards companies is "almost like a tariff." Indeed, EU institutions have fined Facebook's parent company, Meta, billions of euros for breaching data protection and competition rules in recent years.
Zuckerberg echoed comments by Musk, owner of X and a close ally of Trump, who criticised the Digital Services Act (DSA), EU legislation regulating digital content and social media platforms.
Brussels monitors the situation
According to the European Newsroom, Brussels refutes Zuckerberg's allegations but has so far held back its legal arsenal from targeting the world's largest digital platforms, seemingly to avoid antagonising the new American administration after Trump's re-election as president.
"Social media platforms play an important role in people's daily lives, but they also have a huge social and economic importance and influence," wrote Henna Virkkunen, European Commissioner for Technological Sovereignty, on X. "In Europe, we want to create a digital environment that is safe and fair," she added, highlighting that it is the EU's responsibility to ensure citizens' rights are respected and the bloc's regulations are adhered to. However, the commissioner refrained from making any direct reference to the head of Meta and from directly criticising his company.
Zuckerberg's interview with Rogan took place a few days after the Meta group announced that it would end third-party fact-checking in the USA and switch to a model known as "Community Note," popularised by X, where users themselves moderate and debunk falsehoods.
Meta's decision has not yet elicited a significant reaction from the European Commission.
Nevertheless, Brussels authorities denied accusations from Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, in a discussion with Musk on X, regarding the surveillance of their interactions on the platform by over a hundred European Commission officials.
