The European Commission announced at the end of April 2023 the intention to promote the Digital Services Law, a regulation that aims to protect minors, address illegal content, prohibit certain advertisements or combat disinformation. This regulation will force large technology companies such as Google, Meta or Amazon to accept its policies in order to continue operating in the European Union. Twitter does not accept them.
Twitter against the European Union
Since the announcement of this Digital Services Law at the continental level, Twitter has given various signals that they were not going to accept their obligations. All companies have until August 25 to agree to this new digital code of practicebut the social network owned by Elon Musk is not only not going to wait until that date to apply pressure, but has voluntarily decided to disassociate itself, as confirmed by the European commissioner Thierry Breton.
Elon Musk does not want to participate in the disinformation agreement of the European Union, which will become law in August, allowing the Commission to fine violators. In fact, Elon Musk continues to troll people with posts that could violate future EU rules.
Thierry Breton
@ThierryBreton
Twitter leaves EU voluntary Code of Practice against disinformation.
But obligations remain. You can run but you can’t hide.
Beyond voluntary commitments, fighting disinformation will be legal obligation under #DSA as of August 25.
Our teams will be ready for enforcement.
May 26, 2023 • 22:30
“Twitter abandons the EU Voluntary Code of Practice against disinformation. But the obligations remain. You can run, but you can’t hide. Beyond voluntary commitments, fighting misinformation will be a legal obligation under #DSA starting August 25. Our teams will be ready for the application»
This fight between Musk and the European Union seems to be headed for a consequence: the cessation of its operations in Europe. The law, which among other things sets requirements for monitoring and flagging disinformation, would make the now voluntary agreement mandatory for large social networking sites.
Goodbye bot farms
Curiously, this agreement, the Digital Services Law, would a priori be along the lines with which Elon Musk landed on Twitter and posed as a champion to end bots. DSA measures include demonetize misinformation and bot farms on their sites, provide transparent warnings about political advertising, and enhance fact checking. It doesn’t require the site to remove content, but it does require offering users ways to report illegal content.
While adherence to the code is voluntary, its commitments largely anticipate those of the Digital Services Act (DSA), Europe’s new content moderation rulebook. Adhering to the current agreement avoids the risk of breaking DSA rules, which could lead a company to a fine of up to 6% of your annual income, imposed by the European Commission. Twitter representatives apparently explained to the Commission that, under the new management, Twitter moved toward Community Notes, a community-led approach to content moderation.
The EU is a “somewhat of a secondary market for the platform” and “Twitter is increasingly likely to opt out of DSA compliance”, withdrawing from Europe altogether. So getting out of the Code of Practice on Disinformation could be the first formal step in Twitter’s exit from Europe.
