Twitter could face fines and other penalties if it fails to comply with EU law. This was stated by the EU Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton.
“It is absolutely clear that if Twitter does not comply with these rules, we can impose fines. And if the rule violations continue, we can shut down the platform in Europe,” Breton told German group Funke Media and French newspaper Ouest-France. “We have been following very closely what is happening on Twitter since the acquisition of Elon Musk,” Breton stressed, announcing that there will be another meeting between him and Musk before Christmas.
Digital market and digital services laws “provide powerful tools to counter the spread of lies and hate,” Breton said. “Twitter must meet these criteria if it is to remain active in the European market.”
Since Musk’s takeover of Twitter, there has been widespread concern that under his leadership, and following the major job cuts he has implemented, there may be more hate speech and abuse on the platform . Breton had previously expressed concern about Musk’s belief in absolute freedom of speech. “Twitter will need to have transparent user policies, significantly strengthen content moderation, and address misinformation on the platform.”
Macro: ‘make an effort’
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron already announced that Twitter had pledged to ban terrorist and extremist content online. Macron met Musk during a visit to the United States and had a “clear and honest conversation,” the French head of state tweeted. Macron and Musk also spoke of “a transparent user policy, a significant strengthening of content moderation and the protection of freedom of expression,” Macron said. “Efforts should be made by Twitter to comply with European regulations,” he added.
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