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Elon Musk Should Tell EU Censors to Get Lost
The Daily Signal ^ | 2 Dec, 2022 | David Harsanyi

Posted on 12/05/2022 9:58:50 AM PST by MtnClimber

If Elon Musk truly believes that Twitter is a front in the “battle for the future of civilization,” he has a chance to prove it.

The Biden administration has already threatened to investigate Musk on multiple occasions, which isn’t surprising considering its unprecedented antagonizing about free expression.

Democrats such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have promised to create new “rules” governing discourse on the private social media platform. (Remember when leftists were pretending to be fans of free-association rights?)

Hillary Clinton’s approach has been more sweeping, calling for the European Union to create a technocratic speech regime to govern American companies to “bolster global democracy before it’s too late.”

And Europe has answered the call. Thierry Breton, the EU’s commissar of “internal market,” says: “Twitter will have to implement transparent user policies, significantly reinforce content moderation and protect freedom of speech, tackle disinformation with resolve, and limit targeted advertising.”

Reuters news agency notes: “Breton told Musk he must adhere to a checklist of rules, including ditching an ‘arbitrary’ approach to reinstating banned users and agreeing to an ‘extensive independent audit’ of the platform by next year.”

Must he?

For one thing, the EU’s demands are in direct conflict with each other. The state can’t protect “freedom of speech” and compel private institutions to “tackle disinformation” and “reinforce content moderation.” Speech is not free if it needs the state’s imprimatur. And American companies should not function under the authoritarian diktats of the Chicoms or the EU nomenklatura.

It’s helpful to remember that the European Union does not share Musk’s liberal conception of “free speech” as an inalienable right, but rather it views open discourse as a government-provided privilege.

Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights begins by promising “the right to freedom of expression,” but soon warns that speech is contingent on the vagaries, conditions, and restrictions of “national security,” “territorial integrity,” the prevention of “disorder or crime,” and “health or morals.”

Or, in other words, the state arbitrarily can impose limits at will—which sounds a lot like the contemporary American Left’s emerging position on free speech.

Nearly every censor in the history of mankind has argued that speech should be curbed to fight existential threats to society. And nearly every censor in history, sooner or later, expands the threat to undercut the rights of their political opponents....


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Education; Society
KEYWORDS: censorship; communism; ukraine
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To: MtnClimber

Re Hillary’s call foreign intervention to circumvent America’s 1st Amendment.

Sounds like treason to me.


21 posted on 12/05/2022 10:56:18 AM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
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To: Brian Griffin

I doubt they’d worry.

The democrats and Deep State who actually run our country, along with the go along to get along Republicans really don’t care about the Constitution, and are eager to find ways around it.

I wouldn’t doubt Obama’s handlers are actually encouraging the Europeans to take this action.

RINO Senator, “Sorry, Son. I wish I could help, I really do, but those democrats are too wily for me. And the media, well, they’ll just call me a racist and other vile things that hurt my feelings. By the way, boy, can’t you contribute to Mitch’s Senate Republican campaign? We can use the money to oppose the democratic agenda (fingers crossed).”


22 posted on 12/05/2022 11:07:47 AM PST by Alas Babylon! (Gov't declaring misinformation is tyranny: “Who determines what false information is?” )
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To: MtnClimber

The problem is that if you don’t obey the rules then you can’t do business in Europe. But I doubt Twitter is making a profit there anyway so I’d just pull out if I were Elon.


23 posted on 12/05/2022 11:11:31 AM PST by Brilliant
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To: All

The Biden administration has already threatened to investigate Musk on multiple occasions,
which isn’t surprising considering its unprecedented reveals about crackhead ne’er do well
Hunter Biden’s antagonizing about free expression.

<><>hes using TAX PAID Office, Taxpayer Funds and Govt Employees to suppress the citizenry

<><>he engaged in Fraudulent Conveyance of Services and misuse of tax dollars

<><>in 2020 he used unconstitutional methods to suppress the vote,

<><>he used his Official Capacity in a criminal fashion,

<><>he is up for 100% Civil Asset Forfeiture for profiting from the fruits of a Criminal Enterprise


24 posted on 12/05/2022 11:37:40 AM PST by Liz (Vox Populi, Vox Dei (voice of the people is the voice of Go d)
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To: MtnClimber

So when is Elon going to announce a free, no-log VPN? And yep, there are ways around that, too, but in a tech war versus Musk and his resources, the EU might as well just throw rocks and call it a day.


25 posted on 12/05/2022 11:48:31 AM PST by Retrofitted
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To: pepsi_junkie

“Private Public Partnership”.


26 posted on 12/05/2022 12:48:47 PM PST by RushIsMyTeddyBear
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To: MtnClimber

Does this clown actually believe Elon gives a hoot in a holler what he thinks he “should” do, or was he just at a loss for anything substantive to write about today?


27 posted on 12/05/2022 12:49:52 PM PST by Paal Gulli
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To: MtnClimber

This was also my reaction to the news.


28 posted on 12/05/2022 1:13:40 PM PST by sauropod (Fascists also buy Comcast cable packages" - Olby - Wanna buy mine?)
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To: MtnClimber

And cowardly Republicans say nothing...


29 posted on 12/05/2022 1:24:53 PM PST by stinkerpot65 (Global warming is a Marxist lie. )
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To: pepsi_junkie

All of the European governments are Fascist now with a goal of a total NWO Communist tyranny in the future.


30 posted on 12/05/2022 2:28:57 PM PST by RetiredTexasVet (Biden not only suffers fools and criminals, he appoints them to positions of responsibility. )
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