Twitter has abandoned voluntarily the European Union Code of Practice against Disinformationas confirmed by European Commissioner Thierry Breton. The company had already given hints that it was not very interested in following it since the beginning of this year, when it became the only big technology company that did not send a full report to the EU, as required by code.
The report sent by Twitter did not have all the requested data, and did not include commitments from its management to give more power to the verification of facts. This was confirmed by the EU last February. It so happens that Twitter, with its previous owners, agreed to join the code, so this change of plans undoubtedly comes from Elon Musk and his new management.
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.
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) May 26, 2023
Breton has reminded Twitter that the obligations they have to comply with are still in force, and that “can run but can’t hide«. In addition to the voluntary commitments indicated by the code, which the social network has decided not to comply with by withdrawing from it, the fight against disinformation will become a legal obligation as of August 25, when the Law on Disinformation enters into force. digital services (DSA).
Twitter meets the requirements to be considered.”large online platform“, which will lead to them having the obligation to take action against harmful content, in addition to having to send annual risk assessments to the European Commission. If they don’t, they will likely have to face the consequences, and Breton has recalled that his teams “will be ready for application» of the rules.
But Twitter’s massive job cuts, including the closure of its Brussels office, have raised questions about whether it will be able to make the necessary changes to comply with EU rules. If they don’t, and they don’t comply with the DSA, the social network could be fined up to 6% of their annual revenue, or even be banned on the territory of the EU.
