The EU's new digital regulations aim to put an end to online disinformation – and it's not easy at all. (Photo: Unsplash)
Thierry Breton, the European commissioner in charge of internal markets, tweeted on Friday that Twitter had abandoned the EU's voluntary code on spreading misinformation on major online platforms, warning that it could not hide from legal responsibility in the matter. The tweet corroborated previous reports on the subject that remain rumors to this day.
"Twitter has abandoned the EU's voluntary code against disinformation, but its commitments remain in place," the commissioner said. She can run away but she can't hide," Burton wrote, referring to Twitter's obligations as a very large online platform (VLOP or Very Large Online Platform (EU), under the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA).
If this is a voluntary law, then what is all the fuss about?
Originally, the EU's Voluntary Code for the Prevention of Disinformation was a set of recommendations, which VLOPS companies such as Twitter signed to express their willingness to take action to prevent disinformation online. The code requires the media giants that have signed it to take steps to combat the spread of misinformation on the platform through sponsored ads, tackling bots and fake accounts, providing reporting tools to consumers, and empowering researchers to get to the bottom of the truth.
Last November, a series of amendments to the EU's code came into effect, and it was decided that as of August 25, the fight against disinformation would change from a voluntary act to a legal obligation. This means that VLOPs like Twitter will need to work vigorously to assess and mitigate potential systemic risks such as disinformation, in civil discourse and election processes in particular. According to the commissioner, "our teams will be ready for enforcement."
Twitter's previous management signed off on the voluntary code back in 2018, but Twitter's current owner, billionaire Elon Musk, appears to have chosen to fight the EU in the name of free speech, significantly scaling back the department in charge of preventing misinformation, in clear contradiction to comments he made to Barton personally.
Now, Twitter's failure to comply with the voluntary code is a real challenge to the European Union, and a blunt statement that it does not intend to comply with the established rules. TechCrunch reports that when asked by email to comment on the news, Twitter's PR team responded with a poop emoji.
Has the CEO gone crazy? Not exactly
Since acquiring Twitter six months ago, Elon Musk hasn't been off the headlines. A series of delusional management decisions announced by the CEO and new owner Black on Twitter have caused many to raise eyebrows and even worry about Musk's mental state. But the richest man in the world knows very well what he's doing. Since 2022, his public political views have taken a sharp turn to the right as he declared his support for the Republican Party, aligned himself with far-right activists on Twitter, disparaged transgender rights, embraced conservative conspiracy theories and pledged to save civilization from the "awakening brain virus." Add to that the fact that Twitter has reinstated the accounts of users who were blocked from it for breaking the platform's rules, such as Donald Trump and Kanye West, and you'll understand why all this doesn't quite fit with the liberal agendas that Europe is trying to promote.
This battle may yet cost Twitter dearly, as violating the new law will result in fines of up to 6% of the company's global annual turnover. If that wasn't enough, a series of controversial tweets Musk recently posted have led many advertisers to view Twitter as a high-risk advertising platform. The European Commission has also warned that severe and repeated non-compliance could lead to European users being blocked from accessing the service. If that happens, Twitter would suddenly lose about 440 million consumers.
Twitter's Wild West
A clash between the media giant and the European Union looks more certain than ever. This is no ordinary management activism, because in the name of Musk's far-right ideology, Twitter is actually exceeding the normal goals of a commercial company, helping political actors spread anti-democratic conspiracy theories, even at the cost of its downfall.
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