Will Musk’s X Face Complete Ban in Multiple Countries?
Elon Musk’s microblogging platform, X, is facing the looming threat of getting ‘X banned’ in the European Union (EU) and other countries like Pakistan, as Big Tech companies brace for a harsh winter of regulatory crackdowns.
As the chill of winter approaches, Musk’s platform finds itself in the crosshairs of the EU, where stricter regulations imposed since 2023 have intensified against the world’s largest social media platforms, such as X, Instagram, Facebook, and in certain cases ByteDance’s TikTok.
X Banned by the EU Commission
In an interview with La República, Sandro Gozi, an elected candidate for Italian MEP in France, has threatened to ban Musk’s X, citing multiple concerns over censorships and freedom of speech due to Musk’s failure to complying with the EU rules and regulations.
The European Conservative has voiced out his thoughts amid growing controversy surrounding Musk’s vision of transforming X into the “everything app,” a plan now mired in setbacks as the platform faces potential ban in multiple countries.
The EU commission highlighted that Musk’s vision for X has become seemingly controversial and at odds with reality, as the micro-blogging platform appears to serve a new purpose, Musk’s personal and political agendas.
On August 12, 2024, X hosted former US President and current Presidential candidate for Republicans, Donald Trump. On another day, that same platform fans the flames of political tensions in South American countries, such as Venezuela, leading to the newly elected candidate announcing a ban of the application in Brazil.
Is Musk Really the Guardian of Free-Speech?
On August 15, 2024, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro escalated tensions with the SpaceX CEO by completely banning the platform, X, for 10 days.
Banning X in Brazil followed Musk’s decision to shut down X’s operations in Brazil after another South American, country, Venezuela sued him, further mushrooming the trend of X facing shutdowns rather than outright bans. So technically, X wasn’t banned in Brazil, but simply shut down. But it doesn’t stop here, X has crossed it limits and is clearly making a statement that there is no room for freedom of speech on the platform, hence why x is banned in most countries now.
Will the Musk/X Controversy Ever End?
The controversy surrounding X doesn’t end in South America. At a time when Musk’s has been portraying himself as the protector of free speech, users on his own platform criticize him for stilling freedom of expression, especially after the escalation of the Israeli’ war on Palestinians.
On August 20, 2024, the account of the Egyptian comedian and human rights activist, Bassem Youssef got banned without an explanation. While the news spread faster than Covid 19, many users speculated the ban was due to Youssefs’s support for Palestine.
The incident reignited not only tensions on the platform and sparking concerns about social media platforms’ role in content moderation in an ongoing Israeli war in Palestine. Allegations of double standards and discrimination in limiting free speech in support of Israel have been high, with critics criticizing platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X for their double standards and discrimination against accounts posting images and videos, documenting the daily struggles of the Palestinians.
Reports highlight that millions of posts have been removed from social media platforms under the guise of enforcing content regulations to try to prevent hate speech or incite violence.
Be that as it may, the reliance on algorithms has weakened this response, leading to accusations of over-censorship, risking the silencing of prominent voices during this time of war in the Middle East.
This would include the recent suspension of Bassem Youssef’s account, which triggered a debate about the large responsibilities of social companies in times of conflict. Since this is failing, the question of balance in keeping platforms safe without compromising the right to express freely their thoughts.
Elon Musk, who once declared X to be a platform for “free speech absolutism,” is now facing criticism as recent events unfold, showing the world that platform he bought under the guise of freedom of expression, no longer aligns with that promise.
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