Meta’s moderation changes and Musk’s influence on German elections: Can the Digital Services Act protect European users?

Following Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s controversial announcement about scrapping third-party fact-checkers and replacing them with X-like community notes, experts are concerned that these moderation changes will negatively impact European users. This comes despite the Digital Services Act (DSA) having come into force in February last year to protect Europeans from online misinformation and hate speech. 

Another issue troubling Brussels is Elon Musk’s recent livestream with the leader of Germany’s far-right AfD party. He’s been publicly supporting the party, raising accusations of interference in German elections. 

Studio Europa Maastricht sat down with Dr. Sally Wyatt, Professor of Digital Cultures at Maastricht University, to discuss the potential impact of Meta’s recent decisions on democratic processes in the U.S. and Europe, how regulatory differences—such as the absence of the DSA in the U.S.—will shape online spaces on both sides of the Atlantic, and whether the DSA can effectively challenge American big tech companies.

The interview was conducted before Musk’s livestream with AfD’s Alice Weidel.

 

 Read the entire interview here.