Initially, Elon Musk, the owner of X and Trump’s future minister, launched aggressive attacks on European leaders. Mark Zuckerberg, the owner of Meta (Facebook and Instagram), joined him in suggesting that European legislation amounts to «censorship.»

France urged the European Commission to take a «firmer stance» against interference in European debates, particularly targeting Elon Musk’s social network, X. When asked during an interview on France Inter radio if X could «be banned» in Europe as it was in Brazil, where it was suspended for 40 days, French Chancellor Jean-Noël Barrot replied: «It’s provided for in our laws.»

«Either the European Commission applies with the utmost firmness the laws we have established to protect our public space, or it will have to agree to give EU member states back the ability to do so,» said the chancellor.

France’s demand comes a day after the social media giant Meta announced that it will end its fact-checking program in the United States, a shift in its content moderation policies that aligns with Trump’s priorities.

With the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act, the European Union has had a significant arsenal since 2024 to curb abuses of power and the spread of illegal disinformation content. However, following Trump’s election, the EU has chosen to be cautious in confronting large US technology groups.

The Commission’s caution contrasts with its aggressive stance in December against the Chinese network TikTok, which it investigated for allegedly allowing disinformation during elections in Romania.

«We must protect our democracies from all forms of foreign interference,» said the then-president of the Commission, Úrsula von der Leyen, when announcing the investigation. The Commission broke its initial silence to respond timidly, denying any notion of EU censorship. «We categorically reject any accusation of censorship on our part,» said Commission spokeswoman Paula Pinho.