French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that he met with American billionaire Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, on Friday afternoon and they discussed the efforts Twitter must make to comply with European rules.
Today, Saturday, Macron tweeted that “Having a transparent user policy, strengthening content moderation and protecting freedom of expression are efforts Twitter must make to comply with European rules.”
On Thursday, Macron, who is visiting the United States, told the television program Good Morning America that he believes there are “duties and restrictions” on freedom of expression.
Researchers have reported an increase in hate speech on the social media platform after Musk, a free speech advocate, announced a pardon for accounts suspended under the company’s previous management that didn’t break the law or engage in “spam.”
Musk acquired Twitter on October 27 for $44 billion and quickly set about making a series of content and staff changes.
On Friday, Emmanuel Macron concluded a three-day state visit to the United States with a tour of the city of New Orleans, a symbol of historic Franco-American relations in which he promoted the Francophonie.
After a grand reception at the White House dedicated to the “friendship” of the French president with his American counterpart Joe Biden, Macron spent less than a day in the city, located in southeast Louisiana.
In a series of tweets, the French president also revealed that he and Elon Musk discussed “future green industrial projects such as electric vehicles and batteries,” without going into detail.
For his part, Musk said he was “thrilled” by the “exciting projects in France,” without elaborating.
