Elon Musk utilizes his global propaganda channel, X, to target numerous governments across Europe, prompting politicians in those regions to begin pushing back. This week, as Musk continued endorsing a far-right political group in Germany, European Union MPs recommended the EU initiate new regulatory limitations on X, with an MEP even proposing that the platform’s recommendation algorithm be disabled.

Musk has recently been involved in a campaign against several European administrations. The most intense conflict relates to Musk’s opposition to Keir Starmer in the UK, though he has also significantly boosted a far-right political faction in Germany with alleged connections to neo-Nazis. The Alternative for Germany party (AfD) is described as an extreme-right political entity that advocates German nationalism, opposes immigrants and Islam, and champions a version of European Reaganomics favoring the affluent. Musk announced an upcoming dialogue with the head of AfD, Alice Weidel, to be broadcast live on X.

The German publication Handelsblatt has obtained a draft of correspondence by EU MPs, petitioning the EU Commission to weigh new regulatory measures against Musk’s X. The document highlights that the entrepreneur’s “personal role in the German federal election campaign, his anticipated pivotal role in the U.S. administration, and his capacity to steer the political discourse in Germany via algorithm control on Platform X” poses a “systemic hazard.” It also urges “prompt interim actions by the Commission to safeguard the federal election.” The letter was reportedly directed to Henna Virkkunen, the EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy.

Handelsblatt claims that the initiative is likely to “secure a wide majority in the EU Parliament,” which seems logical, given Musk’s continuous provocation of Europeans. The publication quotes Alexandra Geese, an MEP from the Greens party in Germany, who authored the letter. “The Commission must order immediate actions for X,” Geese informed Handelsblatt. She mentioned that disabling X’s recommendation algorithm “would not erase any content, but [would empower] the restoration of freedom of expression for everyone.”

Geese’s proposal is sensible, given Musk’s overt interference in German politics. However, even if X’s “For You” section were to be eliminated, it might not completely hinder the platform from utilizing algorithms to shape what German users encounter in their streams. X’s algorithms remain notably closed source, making it unclear what practices the company may employ to promote certain profiles and material.

Gizmodo has contacted X for feedback.

Musk’s antagonistic and unpredictable conduct has provoked criticism from European politicians—even those formerly allied with him. Recently, French president Emmanuel Macron appeared to criticize Musk, stating in a discussion with fellow French leaders: “Who would have imagined, if someone had foretold that the proprietor of one of the largest global social networks would back the new international reactionary trend and intervene directly in elections?”

France seems to have intensified its backing for its European allies since that time. “France stands in solidarity with its German companions,” Macron’s European Affairs Minister, Benjamin Haddad, relayed to Handelsblatt. He added that Musk’s comments necessitate “alertness” and stressed that such “a formidable private entity, regardless of its nationality or stance, cannot involve itself in the international matters of a sovereign state in such a direct manner.”