European Union, Elon Musk, has warned that Twitter may be banned in European Union if the social media platform does not adhere to the rules of content moderation.
According to informed sources, the warning came from European Union Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, during a video call he made with the CEO of Twitter.
Breton tweeted about his call with Musk on Wednesday, saying there was still “a lot of work ahead of us for Twitter to implement transparent usage policies, significantly promote content moderation, and tackle misinformation.” “We look forward to seeing progress in all areas,” he added.
Breton said Twitter must comply with a list of rules, including eliminating the “arbitrary” approach to reinstating banned accounts, and it must also agree to a “comprehensive independent audit” by 2023.
The regulations refer to the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which came into force on November 16. The law covers the “detection, reporting, and removal of illegal content”.
Twitter closed its Brussels office completely after Musk took over, raising concerns about its compliance with Internet safety rules in force in European Union countries.
What raised more concerns were the layoffs, which Musk began after completing his acquisition of Twitter on October 28, which included more than half of the company’s employees across its various departments, including the content moderation department.
Breton told Musk that Twitter would face an EU-wide ban if it did not comply with the laws, which also include fining Twitter 6 percent of its global turnover for any violation.
Reportedly, Musk told Breton that he believes the EU’s Digital Services Act is “very reasonable” and should be applied globally.
Twitter said on Wednesday in a blog post that none of its policies have changed since Musk bought the company for $44 billion. It added that the trust and safety teams remain “strong and well-resourced, and automated detection (of illegal content) is playing an increasingly important role in cracking down on abuse.”
Twitter also said: “Our approach to policy enforcement will depend more on de-amplifying offending content, as allowing free speech does not mean allowing free access.”
