Up to 150 European Commission officials are set to monitor this evening’s X livestream discussion between Elon Musk and Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) co-leader Alice Weidel, according to reports.
Ms Weidel took to Mr Musk’s social media platform to state in response to the news: “Big Brother is watching you”.
“150 EU officials are supposed to monitor my conversation with @elonmusk. An EU that uses its bureaucracy to exercise censorship on social media is instilling the spirit of unfreedom. The #dsa threatens democracy,” she wrote.
The conversation between Musk and Ms Weidel comes hot on the heels the tech tycoon’s praise for AfD, which he recently described as the “only hope for Germany”.
On another occasion, Mr Musk posted that “only the AfD can save Germany”.
European officials, including Irish Commissioner Michael McGrath, have said that the potential issue is not the interview but whether X’s algorithms would be used to artificially boost the interview’s reach before German goes to the polls next month.
The party is currently polling in second place ahead of the February 23 election.
This evening’s livestream is just the latest clash between Mr Musk and the EU, which launched a case against X last July for what it argues are infringements under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
In a letter to European lawmakers this week, Mr McGrath and EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen said that the Commission is “determined to energetically advance with the case” and “come to a conclusion as early as legally possible”.
Under that legislation, X could potentially be fined up to six percent of its annual revenue.
Speaking on RTÉ News today, Mr McGrath said “the issue at hand is whether there is unfair amplification of certain content” and that when it comes to the conduct of elections, “we do have to make sure that our elections are conducted in a free and fair manner without undue interference”.
Despite the attempted reassurances, internet users have expressed outrage and frustration at the EU’s plans to monitor the conversation.
“The EU government will have 150 thought police listening to @elonmusk livestream with @Alice_Weidel today in order to lay the groundwork for fining and censoring X,” American free speech advocate Michael Shellenberger wrote on X.
AfD MEP Christine Anderson similarly said that With anxious fingers, 150 #EU officials will tonight analyze the talk between @Alice_Weidel and @elonmusk. The @EU_Commission wants to assess whether #Musk and his platform #X comply with #DSA regulations. #FreeSpeech seems to have become a threat for state censors!”
The conversation between Mr Musk and Ms Weidel is due to take place at 6pm Irish time this evening on X.