After Elon Musk’s interference in the German election campaign, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) will invite the managers of all relevant social media platforms to a meeting on January 22. “The clear message will be: everyone must adhere to the law and order” Faeser told the Süddeutsche Zeitung (Saturday edition). “It’s about preventing unacceptable interference in the federal election, just like Russian propaganda and disinformation.”
The platforms will also be reminded of their responsibility to delete criminal hate content, such as murder threats, and to make AI-generated fakes recognizable, the SPD politician said.
Especially with regard to X-owner Elon Musk, Faeser expressed criticism. “For me, it is obvious that Elon Musk wants to weaken liberal democracies and strengthen autocrats and right-wing populists” she said. “He attacks democrats in Germany, Canada, or Great Britain – and not Putin. We view this very critically.” The democratic discourse should “be or even destroyed” due to this, the SPD politician fears. “We rely on the strength of the law in Europe, not on the law of the stronger.”
Also, Green Party Chancellor candidate Robert Habeck warns of damage to democracy. “We’re in the middle of an information revolution” he said to the SZ. “Elon Musk is intervening in the German election campaign with his communication power and supports right-wing populists, and truth and reality don’t matter to them.” In connection with Zuckerberg’s “kowtowing to Donald Trump” this is disturbing.
One should not be naive. “No business model should destroy our democracy” Habeck warned and called for Europe to set limits. “We must not allow those who rule over the algorithms or can afford the most reach to distort truth and falsehood.