BRUSSELS: Elon Musk dangers giving a serving to hand to Russian President Vladimir Putin if Twitter Inc’s latest workers cuts forestall the platform from rooting out propaganda in regards to the conflict in Ukraine, one of many European Union’s high officers warned.
Failing to tackle pretend or deceptive content material on-line might “lead to the very quick abuse” of Twitter, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova, who’s spearheading efforts to deal with on-line disinformation, mentioned in an interview with Bloomberg. This contains ensuring the platform would not grow to be a hub for Russian propaganda.
“By not acting actively against the propaganda, which means to remove the pieces of propaganda, the disinformation, then you are actively supporting the war,” she mentioned. “This would be a very tricky and maybe dangerous endeavor or adventure for Mr. Musk” who “wants to be seen as somebody who is helping Ukraine.” She cited Musk’s Starlink satellite tv for pc system, which has been offering web communications for each Ukrainian residents and its navy.
The feedback are the newest warning shot over the doable side-effects of mass resignations and layoffs after Musk closed his $44 billion buy of the world’s most influential social media platform — together with its potential to abide by a raft of EU laws together with the bloc’s strict General Data Protection Regulation and new Digital Services Act.
“If the network is easily used by Russian propaganda” then “you are very probably breaching the rules of sanctions because you might be distributing the content developed by the sanctioned media, like Russia Today and Sputnik,” mentioned Jourova, a former Czech politician.
Twitter is the one platform Jourova makes use of, having determined years in the past to go away Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook. Now, she’s questioning whether or not to maintain her account after materials corresponding to Chinese pornography not too long ago appeared on her feed.
Meanwhile, Jourova mentioned the billionaire proprietor, who has vowed to carry “free speech” again to Twitter, should not underestimate the EU and the hefty sanctions Twitter might finally face if it fails to abide by the bloc’s EU guidelines.
The DSA, which targets dangerous content material and disinformation on platforms, continues to be in its infancy and Twitter has loads to do in coming months to conform earlier than enforcement kicks in beginning subsequent 12 months.
Fines beneath the regulation might go to as much as 6% of Twitter’s annual international gross sales, whereas GDPR breaches can include fines of as a lot as 4%. The fee has additionally vowed to conduct a “stress test” subsequent 12 months on Twitter’s efforts to adjust to content material moderation legal guidelines.
“I feel that there is not enough understanding from Mr. Musk and maybe some other people around him, that Europe is advanced,” mentioned Jourova. And “that after many years of thorough analyzing how to approach the digital sphere, we decided to regulate, and that we mean it, that the regulation has to be respected by everybody who wants to do business on EU territory.”
Failing to tackle pretend or deceptive content material on-line might “lead to the very quick abuse” of Twitter, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova, who’s spearheading efforts to deal with on-line disinformation, mentioned in an interview with Bloomberg. This contains ensuring the platform would not grow to be a hub for Russian propaganda.
“By not acting actively against the propaganda, which means to remove the pieces of propaganda, the disinformation, then you are actively supporting the war,” she mentioned. “This would be a very tricky and maybe dangerous endeavor or adventure for Mr. Musk” who “wants to be seen as somebody who is helping Ukraine.” She cited Musk’s Starlink satellite tv for pc system, which has been offering web communications for each Ukrainian residents and its navy.
The feedback are the newest warning shot over the doable side-effects of mass resignations and layoffs after Musk closed his $44 billion buy of the world’s most influential social media platform — together with its potential to abide by a raft of EU laws together with the bloc’s strict General Data Protection Regulation and new Digital Services Act.
“If the network is easily used by Russian propaganda” then “you are very probably breaching the rules of sanctions because you might be distributing the content developed by the sanctioned media, like Russia Today and Sputnik,” mentioned Jourova, a former Czech politician.
Twitter is the one platform Jourova makes use of, having determined years in the past to go away Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook. Now, she’s questioning whether or not to maintain her account after materials corresponding to Chinese pornography not too long ago appeared on her feed.
Meanwhile, Jourova mentioned the billionaire proprietor, who has vowed to carry “free speech” again to Twitter, should not underestimate the EU and the hefty sanctions Twitter might finally face if it fails to abide by the bloc’s EU guidelines.
The DSA, which targets dangerous content material and disinformation on platforms, continues to be in its infancy and Twitter has loads to do in coming months to conform earlier than enforcement kicks in beginning subsequent 12 months.
Fines beneath the regulation might go to as much as 6% of Twitter’s annual international gross sales, whereas GDPR breaches can include fines of as a lot as 4%. The fee has additionally vowed to conduct a “stress test” subsequent 12 months on Twitter’s efforts to adjust to content material moderation legal guidelines.
“I feel that there is not enough understanding from Mr. Musk and maybe some other people around him, that Europe is advanced,” mentioned Jourova. And “that after many years of thorough analyzing how to approach the digital sphere, we decided to regulate, and that we mean it, that the regulation has to be respected by everybody who wants to do business on EU territory.”
