Elon Musk asked to testify on Twitter by U.K. Parliament

British Parliamentary Committee has invited Elon Musk, who is currently reviewing draft legislation on online safety, to speak to them about his plans to purchase Twitter and the proposed changes to the platform.

Parliament’s digital committee asked the Tesla CEO on Wednesday to give evidence about his proposals “in more depth.”

Musk saidIt’s too soon to know the answer.

“I am honored and thank the Parliament for their invitation, but it would be premature at this time to accept, given that there has not yet been a shareholder vote” to approve the deal, he saidSend an email to The Associated Press

The committee saidIt’s interested to see Musk’s plans, including his plan to provide verification to all users. This is in line with its own recommendations to U.K. government.

Musk said he wants Twitter to “ authenticate all humans,” an ambiguous proposal that could be related to his desire to rid the website of automated spam accounts.

Legislators in the UK are studying the U.K. government’s online safety bill. This bill would allow regulators to take broad action against social media companies and digital platforms.

One of the measures in the bill to combat online abuse is the requirement for the largest platforms to allow users to verify their identity, and have the option not to interact or share information with unverified users.

“At a time when social media companies face the prospect of tighter regulations around the world, we’re 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,” committee chair Julian Knight said.

This is not the first time that the committee has asked a tech leader to testify. The committee invited Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO in 2018, to testify as part of its investigation into fake information.