A senior German official said – yesterday, Thursday – that the Twitter platform should be among the technology companies that are subject to direct monitoring by the European Commission.
State Minister responsible for competition policy at the German Economy Ministry, Sven Gigold, added that the company’s “strange behavior” under the management of its new owner, Elon Musk, constituted a threat to freedom of expression. Referring to Twitter’s sudden suspension of journalists’ accounts, and restrictions on accessing some links.
In a letter to two European Commission officials, Gigold called on the European Union to open an investigation. He said the commission should act to prevent what he called “anti-competitive Twitter behaviour”.
The European Commission confirmed receipt of the letter and said it would respond in due course, adding that it was closely following developments related to Twitter.
Gigold pointed out – on his Twitter account – the general terms and conditions that change almost every hour, and the strange justifications for the wide restrictions on links and the blocking of journalists, saying that all this “threatens the freedom of competition, and poses a threat to freedom of expression, the circulation of information and the press.”
Gigold also mentioned that the Commission will take over the oversight of large platforms; Such as Facebook and Google, according to the new regulations it has established regarding digital markets.
He also said, “Twitter is not yet ranked as a dominant digital platform given that the company’s sales are still very low” and continued, “However, Twitter has a significant impact on shaping public opinion around the world, as well as in Europe.”
It is worth noting that Musk announced last Tuesday that he will step down as CEO of Twitter. And the American billionaire said – in a tweet – “I will resign from my position as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take over the job! After that, I will only run the software and server teams.”
The announcement came after more than a day of silence regarding the poll that Musk himself launched on the platform, in which a majority of Twitter users supported his stepping down from his position in the company.
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