In a sharp escalation of tensions between Brussels and Elon Musk, one of the European Union’s top officials, Věra Jourová, has branded the billionaire tech entrepreneur a “promoter of evil” over his handling of X, formerly known as Twitter.

Jourová, who oversees the EU’s efforts against online misinformation and hate speech, accused Musk of enabling the spread of harmful content, including antisemitism, on the social media platform.

Ms Jourová, who has served as the EU’s vice president for values and transparency, made her comments as she prepares to leave Brussels after a five-year term. Speaking to Politico, she stated, “We started to relativise evil, and he’s helping it proactively. He’s the promoter of evil.”

The EU official’s remarks come amid ongoing criticism of X for its content moderation policies since Musk took over the platform in 2022. Under Musk’s ownership, X has rolled back certain moderation rules, prompting the EU to accuse the company of violating social media regulations.

Ms Jourová specifically targeted X for becoming “the main hub for spreading antisemitism,” echoing concerns about the platform’s failure to curb hate speech. She has been a vocal critic of Musk’s policies, particularly the introduction of paid blue-tick verification, which the EU argues has enabled the spread of misinformation.

The European Commission has threatened to fine X for violating the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which regulates online platforms. Musk, however, claims that Brussels offered him a “secret deal” to avoid fines, a claim the EU denies.

This dispute is part of a broader clash between the EU and Musk’s platform. X has faced accusations of non-compliance with advertising transparency rules and allowing content that promotes Hamas, though no formal charges have been brought regarding this issue.

As X’s tensions with Brussels continue to grow, Musk is reportedly considering blocking access to X within the EU. This move would be a significant escalation in the dispute and could have major implications for how online platforms operate in Europe under the bloc’s strict regulations.

With more EU regulations on the horizon, the war of words between Musk and Brussels is unlikely to die down anytime soon.

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Elon Musk branded ‘promoter of evil’ by top EU official in clash over online moderation