The Party of European Socialists calls upon the EU to use all the legal means available to protect democracy against misinformation and foreign interference on social media.
Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) is under investigation by European authorities for possible breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA), a legislation put in place to promote online safety and transparency and combat illegal content, hate speech, and disinformation.
Furthermore, in recent days and weeks, several European leaders have expressed concern about the possible use of Musk’s platform to spread fake news, disinformation, and conspiracy theories and to influence elections in countries such as Germany, Italy, and the UK. Last year, X was temporarily banned by a court in Brazil.
PES President Stefan Löfven said:
‘‘The PES is alarmed by the spread of disinformation and possible attempts at interfering in several national elections through social media. We cannot allow any infringement of our democratic processes. I am deeply concerned when I see someone with access to a huge social platform use their position to openly support one particular far-right party. Let’s call it for what it is: it is clear that this is not about defending free speech but about promoting specific parties and political views. We live in a Europe built on the rule of law and strong democratic foundations. Social media, including X, should not be used as instruments to erode the pillars of democracy through populist propaganda. It is time to stop these interferences and the manipulation of European public opinion”.
PES General Secretary Giacomo Filibeck echoed this, adding:
‘‘The EU has enacted legislation such as the Digital Services Act to ensure that the online services contribute and do not undermine key pillars of our democracy. Elon Musk’s use and abuse of his platform X points to continued violation of the DSA provisions. We therefore strongly encourage the European Commission to make use of all the legal tools to secure the democratic processes and the rule of law. The defence of democracy is something that must unite us all, and we call on other European parties to join forces against any potential abuse.”
