Freedom of speech is paramount, but there are limits: Elon Musk vs. Emmanuel Macron
Washington: French President Emmanuel Macron strongly criticized Elon Musk, the head of Twitter and billionaire.
Macron spoke out against Musk’s decision to reinstate the previously banned Twitter accounts of Donald Trump and others, and loosen the platform’s rules and regulations. Trump was also banned from Twitter for spreading hate and tweeting false information.
The reaction of the French President was during his visit to the US.
“I think this is a big problem. I would argue the exact opposite, that more regulation is needed. “Such protection has been implemented at the European level and in France,” Emmanuel Macron said.
Macron said that freedom of expression is the most important thing, but added that there are responsibilities and limitations in what we write and spread.
You can’t just go out on the street and make a racist speech or an anti-Semitic speech. You can never risk someone else’s life.
The French President also stated that violence is never legitimate in a democracy.
At the same time, Elon Musk described himself as a ‘free speech absolutist’ after taking over Twitter. But Macron shared the idea of freedom of expression within permissible limits.
Musk has already fired several Twitter employees over content moderation.
Musk also allowed several Twitter users who had been banned from the platform to be reinstated.
A report also emerged this week that Twitter had stopped enforcing a rule preventing users from sharing misleading information about Covid-19 and vaccine effectiveness. Macron’s response is also in this situation.
Content Highlight: Emmanuel Macron slams Elon Musk for cutting Twitter moderation