On one hand, former U.S. president Donald Trump wants Tesla CEO Elon Musk to head a new commission to identify and reduce government waste if he’s elected to a second term. But on the other hand, the U.K. and Brazil are looking to reduce Musk’s political influence.
The governing U.K. Labor party is looking to strengthen the country’s Online Safety Act in response to incendiary comments that X owner, billionaire Elon Musk, posted to his social media platform in the midst of the U.K’s nationwide anti-immigration protests.
According to CNBC, the Labor party is considering altering the Online Safety Act, which currently requires major technology companies to prevent the spread of illegal and harmful content on their platforms. Once fully implemented, the Online Safety Act will require platforms to take action to address illegal content. CNBC also reported that “the Act will also require the biggest platforms to enforce their own terms of service, including where these prohibit the spreading of misinformation.”
Brazilian Supreme Justice Alexandre de Moraes suspended X’s availability in Brazil. The suspension came after X failed to appoint a legal representative in the country as requested by a Brazilian court in regards to content moderation. Musk refused to comply with de Moraes’ judicial orders to remove disinformation from the platform under Brazil’s speech laws.
According to NBC News, Musk and X have used the platform to spread misleading information about how the law and government work in Brazil.
X ranked around 10th in social media platforms most used by Brazilians.
Musk has also targeted de Moraes from his personal X account, calling him a “fake judge,” “Brazil’s Voldemort” and a “criminal.” Musk has called for de Moraes to be imprisoned, for the U.S. government to stop sending foreign aid to Brazil, and to seize Brazilian government assets.
In its report, NBC News quoted David Nemer, a professor of media studies at the University of Virginia who is from Brazil and has studied misinformation and the rise of the Brazilian far right: “Our laws pertaining to free speech are different from the First Amendment in this country, the same way Europe has a very different understanding,” and added: “In Brazil, hate speech is not protected.”
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