Twitter ordered to comply with new EU internet regulations
The European Union warned Thursday that Twitter must bolster its resources by August 25 to comply with ambitious new European legislation on online content.
Thierry Breton in Paris on June 19, 2023.
AFP
“If the technology is not ready, they should have adequate resources to fill the gap. I spoke with Elon Musk about this particular topic,” EU Commissioner Thierry Breton said Thursday after meeting with Elon Musk during a meeting at Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco, where the site’s new chief executive, Linda Yaccarino, was also present.
The EU commissioner is currently working in California to ensure that internet giants such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are ready to comply with the Digital Services Act, which will come into effect at the end of August.
The text is one of the most ambitious regulations to regulate online content since the advent of social networks. It imposes a long list of rules on platforms, marketplaces and search engines, such as the obligation to act “immediately” to remove illegal or harmful content upon the platform’s knowledge of it.
Thierry Breton said on Twitter that during the meeting, attended by Elon Musk via video conference from New York, “a few important areas (…) will apply regulations immediately”. This is “specifically related to child abuse, which is a very hot topic for us in Europe, as well as disinformation during elections”.
The former French finance minister must meet with Meta’s boss, Mark Zuckerberg, to confirm Facebook and Instagram’s compliance. But her conversation with Elon Musk is getting everyone’s attention, as new owner Twitter protects almost unlimited freedom of expression, fueling misinformation when content is offensive or violates European rules.
“Stress Test”
Thierry Breton’s visit to Twitter allowed the EU committee to “stress test” the site to see if it was ready, which many observers doubted. Because Elon Musk has fueled a massive layoff wave, decimating moderate teams.
Despite this, the bluebird owner confirmed in Paris last week that Twitter intends to comply with the new European regulations. “I’m not here to tell the company what to do,” said Thierry Breton. “I’m the regulator, and I have to tell them what the law is.”
On the commissioner’s advice, China’s Python-owned TikTok platform, which now raises questions about its reliance on Beijing’s authority, agreed in July to submit to a mock audit.
This type of testing helps verify that platforms work properly without consequences in case of a violation before the text goes into effect. Because the DSA Act provides very strict regulations. Like the European Rules for Data Protection (RGPD), this could become a reference in the world, while many governments try to control the excesses of the Internet.
To meet this, Twitter, Meta, TikTok and other platforms need to invest heavily in dedicated staff and technology. While many major players in the industry have made massive layoffs, including at their modest teams.
In April, Brussels published a list of the 19 largest online sites and search engines that will be subject to strengthened controls from August 25. With this new text, authorities and researchers should be given unprecedented access to their algorithms and results based on content evaluation.
For now, Meta tightly restricts access to this data after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, while Twitter and Reddit have set high fees to deter some researchers. DSA gives more rights to users who believe they have been unfairly censored. Platforms can be fined up to 6% of their global revenue for not complying with the law, or banned outright in Europe for repeated violations.
AFP
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