Twitter, now owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has removed itself from the European Union’s Code of Practice on Disinformation. Thierry Breton, the EU’s Internal Market Commissioner, announced this lately.
Breton issued a stern warning to the social media giant. He emphasized that legal obligations related to disinformation remain intact.
Beyond voluntary commitments, fighting disinformation will be a legal obligation under #DSA as of August 25. Our teams will be ready for enforcement.Breton
This announcement refers to the impending EU Digital Services Act (DSA) deadline. This act states that Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), including Twitter, must assess and control systemic risks to civic discourse and electoral processes.
They include aspects like disinformation. Twitter, therefore, still has an obligation to comply with the DSA.
The Alleged Disregard
In 2018, previous Twitter executives voluntarily signed the company onto the EU Disinformation Code. It’s a set of guidelines to counteract the spread of false information.
Measures included providing consumers with tools to report disinformation, targeting bots and fake accounts, and reducing associated ad revenue. A transparency center was established to monitor adherence to the code in June 2022. In addition, the EU declared that adherence to the code would count towards a VLOP’s compliance with the DSA.
Elon Musk’s withdrawal from the EU Code, three months before the DSA takes full effect, suggests a disregard for the EU’s broader digital rulebook.
Since acquiring Twitter in 2021 for $44 billion, critics have held Musk responsible for making changes that undermine the platform’s integrity.
The stated changes include cuts to moderation staff. They also include increased fees for external researchers to access Twitter data. This has impeded the ability to study issues like disinformation. Moreover, it can potentially promote instability on the platform.
The EU had previously warned Twitter of the “huge work” necessary to avoid violating the DSA. The organization has been particularly concerned about disinformation.
However, Twitter’s decision to withdraw from the voluntary code escalates its regulatory risk.
The EU is expected to interpret this as a deliberate challenge to the DSA. After all, the Code is considered defacto guidance for meeting its obligations.
The Potential Penalties
Non-compliance with the DSA carries severe penalties. They may be as high as 6% of global annual turnover.
Additionally, repeated serious violations could result in the EU blocking access to the service. This may further jeopardize Twitter’s reach to approximately 440 million regional consumers.
According to experts and journalists, Twitter has seemingly transformed into a sanctuary for right-wing commentators under Musk’s leadership. The platform now provides refuge to influencers promoting political bias and conspiracy theories. This is somehow turning the platform into an alternative social media.
In the US, this shift may be legally protected by free speech rights. However, the risk of alienating progressive users will likely be there.
Conversely, promoting conspiracy theories and anti-democratic manipulation clashes with regulatory policies in the EU will probably set the stage for an expensive legal battle.
