Twitter may be close to bending the knee to the European Union’s stringent new laws on fake news, Russian propaganda, and online crime. EU Officials recently visited the headquarters of Elon Musk’s social media platform to assess its ability to fight what it considers “disinformation.”
The Guardian reports that Twitter was the subject of a unique exercise in which representatives of the European Commission visited the company’s headquarters to assess the company’s readiness to conduct business legally in the European Union.
Elon Musk’s Halloween costume (Taylor Hill /Getty)
The social media giant previously withdrew from the EU’s voluntary code of practice on disinformation at the direction of new owner Elon Musk. To test Twitter’s controls on Russian propaganda, fake news, and other types of online criminal activity, including child sexual exploitation, European Commission officials recently staged a mock exercise with the company’s employees.
Thierry Breton, the commissioner in charge of carrying out the new Digital Services Act, expressed his satisfaction with Twitter’s choice to voluntarily submit to the test. “When it comes to online crime, there can be no half measures. Very large online platforms need to put the necessary internal controls and resources in place to be ready for the new European rules,” he stated.
EU officials were worried that Twitter might not abide by the new laws, which are scheduled to take effect on August 25. Musk had previously received a warning from the EU that failure to comply could result in a total ban or fines equal to 6 percent of Twitter’s annual global revenue.
Breton emphasized that Twitter still has a long way to go even though the company has pledged to follow the new laws. “Twitter is taking the exercise seriously and has identified the key areas on which it needs to focus to comply with the DSA. With two months to go before the new EU regulation kicks in, work needs to continue for the systems to be in place and work effectively and quickly,” he said.
Read more at the Guardian here.
