German Economic Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Robert Hebeck called on Europe to create its own version of the social media platform X, urging it to break away from Silicon Valley's domination on the continent.
Habeck said that the world's wealthiest man, tech billionaire Elon Musk, was said to have been hypocritical for free speech and along with other social media platforms, he needs stricter regulations.
“They claim to support free expression, but they are following algorithms like state secrets. This is not transparency – it's an operation,” Habeck said Monday. Q&A that aired With voters.
The Economy Minister, a leading candidate for Greens, said social media companies should be regulated to comply with European values, and the current law has not cut it.
“They have to be regulated,” he said Monday. “We are regulated when necessary in a way that matches our values.”
He added that Germany and other parts of Europe should have a version of X.
“Why don't we have our own German or European communication platform?” Habeck said. “We cannot rely on Elon Musk's far-right fantasies when it comes to Chinese algorithms or the formation of democracy. Europe must regain control of the digital space.”
Habeck's tilade on Musk exemplified Western Europe's concerns about the impact of major technologies on the continent. The minister also slammed Musk over his involvement with the current US administration led by President Trump.
“The world's most powerful figure, the US President – the world's wealthiest person, Elon Musk, is working together to break the boundaries of power,” Habeck said.
Sergei LaGodinsky of the Greens, who has been a member of the European Parliament since 2019. I said Last month, a consortium of European companies should acquire the popular video sharing platform Tiktok.
Mask's recent veer to German politics has caused unease among high-ranking officials. SpaceX executives wrote the OP-ED in late December, where they expressed strong support for Germany's far-right German party alternatives (AFD), claiming that Berlin is closer to “economic and cultural collapse.” I did.
In response, the German government accused him of trying to interfere in the country's upcoming elections.
The Tesla head also spoke to party supporters in January, encouraging them to “go beyond” and “move” “past guilt.”
“What I think is very important is that people are proud of Germany and are German. This is very important,” Musk said. “You know, it's okay to be proud to be German. This is a very important principle.”
