UK parliament summons Elon Musk

By Al Mayadeen net
Source: Agencies
5 May 2022 14:41

Musk was invited to detail his plans regarding Twitter

Elon Musk (TheVerge)

British legislators have summoned billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk to testify about his planned $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, requesting that he describe his vision for the social media behemoth.

Julian Knight, the chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport Committee, made the request public early Wednesday morning. In a letter dated April 29, Knight stated that Musk's participation will allow him to convey his ambitions for the platform "in more depth."

We've invited @ElonMusk to discuss the future of @Twitter in Parliament.

Chair @JulianKnight15: "Appearing before the Committee will give Mr Musk an ideal opportunity to set out his proposals in more depth and we would look forward to welcoming him.”

🔎: https://t.co/HpYduMAcZY pic.twitter.com/UTU2wu1jnV
— Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (@CommonsDCMS) May 4, 2022

Knight stated separately that lawmakers are “keen to learn more about how Mr. Musk will balance his clear commitment to free speech with new obligations to protect Twitter’s users from online harms.”

Musk divulged to AP that he was "honored" by the invitation, saying "it would be premature at this time to accept," given Twitter's shareholders have yet to approve the deal.

Knight's letter comes as British lawmakers consider "online safety" legislation that would give regulators broad authority to crackdown on social media and other internet firms. The law includes a provision requiring larger sites to allow users to authenticate their identities and provide them the option of avoiding contacts with unverified accounts.

Musk has claimed that he would like Twitter to "authenticate all humans," but he did not explain how this may be accomplished.