{"text":[[{"start":7.9,"text":"From Hearst to Murdoch, the power of “media moguls” has posed a challenge for governments since the birth of mass media. "},{"start":14.192,"text":"They have never confronted anyone quite like Elon Musk. "},{"start":17.209,"text":"The world’s richest man is both the owner of X and, with 194mn followers, the most-followed figure on the social media platform previously called Twitter, giving him a bully pulpit of extraordinary reach. "},{"start":28.613999999999997,"text":"Business interests spanning technology, manufacturing, space and defence make him a figure many politicians are reluctant to tangle with. "},{"start":36.044,"text":"Yet recent weeks have highlighted the pitfalls of such a concentration of influence in this “free speech absolutist”. "}],[{"start":42.61,"text":"In the UK, Musk’s X has been a conduit for content that helped to foment anti-immigration riots across English cities. "},{"start":49.452,"text":"His own posts fanned the flames. "},{"start":51.569,"text":"He declared that “civil war is inevitable” in Britain, shared a fake story posted by a far-right group, and launched jibes about prime minister Sir Keir Starmer. "},{"start":60.024,"text":"X was resistant to calls to take down posts that the UK government’s disinformation unit deemed a threat to national security. "}],[{"start":67.05,"text":"In the US, where Musk has previously spread his political bets but is now backing Donald Trump to return to the White House, monitors have found at least 50 of his posts on the 2024 election — together amassing 1.2bn views — have been refuted by independent fact-checkers. "},{"start":82.61699999999999,"text":"This week, X livestreamed his distinctly softball, if rambling, two-hour interview with Trump. "}],[{"start":89.35,"text":"Twitter was a wellspring of misinformation even before Musk’s $44bn acquisition in 2022. "},{"start":95.86699999999999,"text":"But the tycoon’s cutbacks to content moderation and reinstatement of some previously banned figures, including the British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, have led to an upsurge in rightwing posts and hate speech. "},{"start":106.87199999999999,"text":"And the volatile entrepreneur’s own account has become one of the biggest spreaders of provocative content. "},{"start":111.689,"text":"Musk has the same right as anyone to share his views, but his vast audience gives him a special duty to act with care. "}],[{"start":118.72999999999999,"text":"America’s First Amendment protection for free speech, and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act which exempts internet platforms from liability for content posted by third parties, give X and Musk broad leeway in the US. "},{"start":131.809,"text":"Some big democracies have enacted laws to hold social media companies to account for false or harmful content, and should be ready to use them. "}],[{"start":140.22,"text":"The EU last month charged X under its Digital Services Act with allegedly ignoring European law by allowing disinformation and illegal hate speech on the platform, and has begun proceedings against Meta and TikTok. "},{"start":151.874,"text":"But action must be co-ordinated and judicious. "},{"start":154.542,"text":"Internal market commissioner Thierry Breton’s letter before Musk’s Trump interview this week, threatening punishment if content on X put EU citizens at risk of serious harm, was ill-advised. "},{"start":164.472,"text":"Apparently not agreed with other commissioners in advance, it played into the hands of Musk and the Trump campaign’s claims that Brussels was trying to meddle in the US election. "}],[{"start":173.21,"text":"In Musk’s case, another moderating influence could be his own business allies and investors. "},{"start":178.489,"text":"Belief in his genius and fear of losing outsize returns has made them reluctant to criticise him. "},{"start":183.68200000000002,"text":"The tycoon’s personal dominance, however, always exposed his businesses to an unusual degree of “key person risk”. "},{"start":190.21200000000002,"text":"Now, stalling user growth and advertiser flight at X could jeopardise the investments of those who helped finance his acquisition. "},{"start":197.017,"text":"And there are some signs his rightward shift is alienating some likely buyers of Tesla electric vehicles. "}],[{"start":203.29000000000002,"text":"Musk is one of the most gifted entrepreneurs of the postwar era. "},{"start":207.13200000000003,"text":"Rather than wading deeper into toxic online debate, friends and investors ought to be advising him to stick to the activities at which he excels — and which were the foundation of his wealth and influence in the first place. "}],[{"start":217.75000000000003,"text":""}]],"url":"https://creatives.ftacademy.cn/album/167513-1723691237.mp3"}