Elon Musk’s conflicts of interest and political interference are “potentially dangerous” and there are “well-founded suspicions that he may use his media to influence European politics for political and economic purposes.” This is what we read in a question presented to the European Parliament by Sandro Ruotolo, a member of parliament of the Democratic Party and chief information officer of Elly Schlein’s secretariat. The Democrat representative asks the community manager whether current European legislation is sufficient to protect democratic institutions against the political use of social media.
“Musk is no longer an ordinary citizen, he is a political subject”
Sandro Ruotolo explains to Today.it: “President Ursula von der Leyen announced that Europe has put TikTok under official observation. I think this should also be done for the X platform. Elon Musk is not just an entrepreneur, a businessman, but a oligopolist: today a political entity within the Trump administration, no longer an ordinary citizen who has turned a supposedly neutral means of communication into a weapons platform I, and many others, respect the rules of the digital services law, which has been used by 3 million people since Donald Trump won the election. “As he did, we chose to abandon the X platform.”
There are those on the right who accuse Ruotolo and the Democratic Party of “censoring” the internet and undermining freedom of information; This charge calls for Ruotolo to be returned to the sender. “Freedom of information – he replies – is another thing. And the accusation of wanting to limit it comes precisely from the right-wing worlds living in the illiberal democracies of Europe, where freedom of the press is not included in the Constitution. Absolutely. Guaranteed 138 percent plurality because I love freedom of the press “I think it is necessary. After entering the field with Trump, the number of views and retweets was 238 percent.”
“Musk’s posts saw a 138 percent increase in views and a 238 percent increase in retweets following his arrival with Trump.”
So Sandro Ruotolo told Today.it
The issue is also discussed in Italy; Along with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is forced to respond to attacks from the Democratic Party in the Senate, and senator-for-life Mario Monti, who accuses him of supporting Musk’s attempts to interfere in strategic elections. ‘Italy is in the sectors where the richest man in the world operates’.
Ruotolo explains: “Elon Musk’s entry into President Donald Trump’s administration raises questions about the democratic security of Europe, given the American businessman’s media power and economic clout. In Italy, Mr Musk criticized the decisions of the judiciary and President Sergio Mattarella will intervene against Mr Musk’s involvement. The conflicts of interest extend to strategic sectors of the economy such as automotive (Tesla), space (SpaceX), satellite telecommunications (Starlink). (X) constitutes strategic and potentially dangerous sectors. This makes it the protagonist of global geopolitical challenges, with justified suspicions that it can use its media to politically and economically influence European policies. “The lawsuits initiated in ‘reveal concerns about the use of X for disinformation and failure to deal with illegal content.”
“There is a stated conflict of interest”
If actions against TikTok progress in both Europe and the USA, and the platform can soon be hidden, the other major platforms (Meta, Google and X) will have a kind of “protection” in their own parliaments, from which MPs are elected. these are direct expressions of the companies themselves, which have established solid relations with many political parties over the years. “We know well that we must resist. We know well that there are 200 representatives elected from the far right in the European Parliament. We know well that only 4 of the 27 commissioners are from the Socialist Party. We must represent the barrier against everyone. This is about Elon Musk’s control of satellites “From what happened, it is clear that he has a clear, if secret, conflict of interest. His ultimate goal is not just power, but also his job.”
Source: Today IT
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
