MICHAEL GLASSNER: Left’s War On Free Speech Moving From Social Media To TV |
When Elon Musk bought X, formerly Twitter, and refused to comply with the global censorship regime, he became a target overnight — especially for European Union bureaucrats determined to reassert control over online speech. The EU’s latest effort to slap X with a $140 million penalty is just the most recent example of that campaign.
The EU claims the fine is due to X allowing users to purchase verification checkmarks without the platform independently confirming their identities.
Americans understand that anonymous speech is a cornerstone of liberty. From the Federalist Papers onwards, anonymity has protected dissent, whistleblowers, and political minorities. But Europe does not afford such freedom. That’s why Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the EU’s X fine, suggesting it is retaliation for Musk’s refusal to censor speech at the EU’s direction.
In 2023, the EU opened an investigation into the company for “disinformation,” and Musk drew the ire of European regulators for refusing to remove an interview with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump from his platform.
Musk is, of course, an outlier in the tech world. Most of his peers in the industry genuflect to the demands of various governments........