Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Today, the Commission has issued a fine of €120 million to X for breaching the Digital Services Act.
That was a European Union spokesperson announcing a first-of-its-kind fine against social media platform X. The fine against the American company amounts to US$140 million. X Corp owner Elon Musk is bent on fighting the fine, and he's got some considerable help in his corner.
In this episode, we talk with the Senior Vice President for the Counter Censorship Task Force at Alliance Defending Freedom about the growing threat of global censorship, including of American citizens. I'm Daily Wire Executive Editor John Bickley with Georgia Howe. This is a LegalWire edition of Morning Wire. This episode is brought to you by Pocket Hose, the world's number one expandable hose.
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Chapter 2: What is the Digital Services Act and why is it significant?
Now is the perfect time to plant. Let's grow together. Use wire to save today. Offer is valid for a limited time. Terms and conditions may apply. Joining us now is Jeremy Tedesco, Senior Counsel and Senior Vice President for the Counter Censorship Task Force at Alliance Defending Freedom. That's a mouthful. Jeremy, thanks for coming on.
Yeah, my pleasure. Thanks for having me on.
So most Americans still hold to the idea that we should be allowed to speak freely, but now there's a unique threat to free speech coming from the European Union. This is something we have touched on before in the past.
Chapter 3: How is the EU's fine against X impacting free speech?
There's new developments on this front. First, what is the Digital Services Act and why should we care about what's going on in the EU?
The Digital Services Act is the EU's attempt at global narrative control. And that may sound broad and vague or overseas, or maybe it doesn't affect you, but it does. Because the whole effort under the DSA, which we call the Delete, Silence, Abolish Act, is to reach out and
and regulate American tech companies and force them to regulate speech on the digital platforms where we all speak and get information and talk about the issues of the day in ways that are aligned with European bureaucrats' views of what speech is acceptable. And that's, trust me, that is not the American standard of free speech.
Chapter 4: What stance is Elon Musk taking against the EU fine?
It's really the polar opposite. There's some just terrible, terrible laws and precedents in the European Union related to speech. And the EU wants to impose those standards on the global conversation. And they're trying to do that through American tech platforms. So it's a worldwide speech problem that directly impacts the speech of American citizens as well.
So not to state the obvious, but America is not part of the EU. Why is the EU Commission fining American companies, and could they actually do the same for American individuals?
Well, what the EU is doing right now is they're punishing Elon Musk because he decided to take a stance in 2022 to protect free speech online and on social media platforms by buying X. I mean, make no mistake, when Elon Musk bought X, Twitter at the time, in 2022, it threw a huge wrench in the censorship aims of the European Union and so many other global censors.
Because all the other companies at that time were really bending the knee. They were all saying, sure, we'll restrict COVID misinformation and we'll restrict hate speech and we'll start going even further down the path of censoring people's speech online. And then Elon came in and said, no, we need to have a public square online where people can basically have the freedom
to say whatever they think without worrying about whether they're gonna be punished. And so the EU is, bottom line, they're punishing Elon Musk and X because Elon took this stance to protect free speech in the global marketplace of ideas. Thank God he did.
But he is paying a price right now for that, and it's a price that needs to matter to every single citizen of the world and American citizens as well because what the EU is trying to do by fining X $140 million –
They're trying to force them and punish them in a way that makes them comply with these draconian speech standards in the EU rather than being the speech platform that Elon promised X would be. And so, I mean, we're in a worldwide battle over free speech. And Elon isn't a citizen of the EU. X isn't an EU company. But the EU is –
dedicated to making sure that American companies comply with their speech standards or pay a dear price. And Americans are going to pay that price in their speech if X doesn't prevail.
Now, as we've seen with Musk, he doesn't just lay down. He's committed to making X a haven for free speech. As you noted, when he first purchased Twitter, I mean, it was a seismic move and we really felt it all across this country. I can't assume he's going to just take this fine and move along. So what is he doing in response?
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Chapter 5: How does the EU plan to regulate American tech companies?
It's complicated. And I think as you've laid out, it's very much relevant to all of us here. Thank you so much for your time. Yep. Thank you.
That was Alliance Defending Freedom's Jeremy Tedesco. And this has been a LegalWire edition of Morning Wire.
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