Could the blue bird never see the European sky again? Twitter "will be banned" from the European Union in case of non-compliance with its rules, warned Monday the French Minister Delegate for Digital, Jean-Noël Barrot. "Twitter, if it does not comply with our rules, will be banned, in case of recurrence, from the European Union," hammered on franceinfo Jean-Noël Barrot, minister delegate for digital transition and telecommunications.
On Saturday, Twitter officially exited the EU's Code of Practice against online disinformation. But the social network, led by American billionaire Elon Musk, remains legally subject to compliance with European rules, recalled the European Commissioner for Industry Thierry Breton.
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"Twitter plays an important role in the public debate, but we cannot take the risk that a social network such as Twitter will be held hostage by the supporters of disinformation and, as a result, our public debate, our democracy will be affected," insisted Jean-Noël Barrot. That's why we've established clear rules and Twitter will need to comply. »
From 25 August, new rules will apply to platforms on moderation and the fight against disinformation. If Twitter does not comply, it will face sanctions up to and including blocking it in the EU. @franceinfo pic.twitter.com/oFSkfOlVr2
— Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) May 29, 2023
Asked about the future European regulation on generative artificial intelligence ("the AI Act") currently under discussion, the French minister, while acknowledging the need to "give a framework" to the development of AI, tackled the positioning of the European Parliament which risks "taking the European Union out of technological history".
The France wants to "invest" in AI
"At this stage, the position of the European Parliament is excessive because it imposes audit obligations, transparency obligations that are excessive for this type of models," he said.
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These AI models "are the subject of a frantic race in which we must not be left behind, otherwise we would lock ourselves into decades of subjugation and technological dependence," he continued, calling for "investment" in the field.
