'Elon Musk Should Be Aware Of That': EU Commission Threatens Sanctions Over Suspended Journalists

Since taking over social media platform Twitter, Elon Musk has made many headlines related to how he is controlling the platform.

On Thursday, Musk made a move that upset the European Union (EU) Commission.

What Happened: Tesla Inc TSLA and Twitter CEO Elon Musk suspended the accounts of several journalists Thursday night.

The move was done in relation to the recent suspension of the @Elonjet account, which previously tracked Musk’s private jet and shared coordinates with the public.

Among the suspended accounts were journalists Aaron Rupar, Donnie O’Sullivan, Drew Harwell and Ryan Mac.

The suspension of the journalists led to a mixed response from the public and saw Musk conduct a poll on how long the suspensions should be.

EU Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency Vera Jourova didn’t find much laughter in the matter.

“News about arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying. EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. This is reinforced under our Media Freedom Act. Elon Musk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And sanctions, soon,” Jourova tweeted.

The Digital Services Act was put into action in November and requires large online platforms to protect users’ rights. Failure to do so can lead to fines for the companies involved.

A deadline of February 2023 was put in place for companies to meet the new requirements of the Digital Services Act.

Related Link: Elon Musk Takes Over Twitter: Who's In Charge, Who's Gone And What Happens To The Stock 

Why It’s Important: Musk jumped on a Twitter Spaces Thursday with several of the journalists who were suspended to tell them that the same doxxing rules put in place on the @ElonJet account applied to them.

“If they’re naughty, they get suspended,” Musk tweeted.

Users on Twitter began reporting issues with Twitter Spaces shortly after the suspended accounts were featured on it. Musk blamed the issue on a “legacy bug” and said the Twitter feature should be working soon.

Some were skeptical and thought Musk had put a pause on Spaces given the loophole the suspended journalists and @ElonJet account were using to talk to followers.

Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion and placed himself as CEO of the company. Since becoming CEO, Musk cut jobs, increased focus on subscription revenue and announced he was unbanning the Twitter account of former President Donald Trump.

Musk also banned the Twitter account of competitor Mastodon on Thursday, which had shared the link to the banned ElonJet account on its own platform.

Read Next: Jack Dorsey Not Exactly Impressed With Elon Musk's Twitter: 'Biggest Mistake I Made Was...'

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