Elon Musk lashes out at report claiming he will take X out of EU countries

San Francisco, California - Elon Musk called a report claiming he's thinking about taking X out of European Union countries "utterly false."

X owner Elon Musk is reportedly considering taking the social media platform offline in European Union countries.
X owner Elon Musk is reportedly considering taking the social media platform offline in European Union countries.  © Collage: 123RF/rarrarorro & Andrew H. Walker / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Insider reported Thursday that Musk is apparently furious with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), citing a person familiar with the company.

The Digital Services Act (DSA) obliges large online platforms to take consistent and swift action against hate speech, among other things.

But in a reply to an X post about the story, Musk wrote "Yet another utterly false Business Insider. They are not a real publication."

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X recently received a list of questions from the European Commission, which wants to know more about how the social media platform meets its obligations.

The commission request followed evidence that calls for violence and misinformation were spreading on X amid the Israel-Gaza war.

EU Commissioner Thierry Breton referred, among other things, to reports of manipulated images and recordings of video games that had been passed off as real recordings. DSA violations carry heavy penalties.

According to Insider, Musk has discussed making X no longer available in the EU or blocking access for users in the region.

The Tesla CEO laid off more than half of the workforce after buying the company formerly named Twitter for around $44 billion in 2022. Teams responsible for content control were also heavily affected.

This article was amended to include Elon Musk's rejection of the claims made in the original Insider report.

Cover photo: Collage: 123RF/rarrarorro & Andrew H. Walker / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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