Twitter has withdrawn from a voluntary agreement with the European Union to combat online disinformation. In the tweet found by , Thierry Breton, the bloc’s internal market commissioner, said Twitter pulled out of the EU’s “” against disinformation. “You can run but you can’t hide. Our teams are ready for implementation,” said Breton, referring to the EU’s . Starting August 25, the DSA will require “very large online platforms” like Twitter to be more proactive with content moderation.
Twitter abandoned the EU’s voluntary Code of Practice against disinformation.
But the obligations remain. You can run but you can’t hide.
Beyond voluntary commitments, the fight against disinformation becomes a legal obligation #DSA on August 25.
Our teams are ready for implementation.
– Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) May 26, 2023
Twitter’s communications department was not immediately reached by Engadget for comment. Before Elon Musk’s takeover in October, Twitter signed the EU’s Code of Practice against disinformation in 2018, along with companies such as Facebook parent Meta, Google and TikTok. While the Code is voluntary, EU compliance with the agreement will count towards compliance with the DSA. as TechCrunch notes, Twitter’s decision to withdraw from the deal just three months before the EU began implementing the DSA appears to suggest the company plans to skirt the bloc’s rules content moderation.
However, ignoring the DSA could be a costly battle for Twitter and Elon Musk. The legislation allows EU officials to impose penalties of up to 10 percent of global annual turnover for violations, with the potential for fines of up to 20 percent of global turnover for repeat violations. chance of non-compliance. The European Commission also said that repeated non-compliance could lead to the EU blocking access to offending services.
