EU Regulator Says Twitter Exhibits ‘Strong Willingness’ to Comply With Digital-Content Law
Twitter has a “strong willingness” to comply with Europe’s new digital-content law, according to a senior EU tech regulator, who added that the platform is working toward compliance.
An EU team visited Twitter’s headquarters in San Francisco this week for a so-called stress test to ascertain how well the platform would comply with the new law, which goes into effect in late August. Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner for the internal market, provided his assessment.
Breton stated that the purpose of the test was not to reveal the outcome publicly, but rather to discuss what the platform needed to do to comply with the law. When a reporter asked Breton why he trusted Twitter, he responded, “I don’t have to trust or not trust.” He stated that the law will be upheld.
Thursday, Breton met via videoconference with Twitter owner Elon Musk and in-person with Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino, according to a Breton adviser.
The purpose of the voluntary stress test is to simulate how the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) will be enforced.
Previously, Breton told The Wall Street Journal that a team of five to ten digital specialists from the EU would evaluate Twitter’s content moderation as part of the evaluation. Breton stated at the time that regulators planned to examine how the company responds to tweets they consider problematic, as well as why certain content may slip through the cracks.
Since Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October, the social media company has endured a turbulent period, including cutbacks and other departures that have reduced the staff to approximately 1,500 employees from close to 8,000 when Musk took over. Since Musk’s takeover, Twitter has also lost two successive chiefs of trust and safety.
Breton tweeted that Twitter was the first company to undergo the stress test in preparation for the new law, adding, “The company is taking this exercise very seriously.” He stated that he had a productive conversation with Musk and Yaccarino and added, “Ample resources will be essential.”
Following staff reductions, European regulators questioned the company’s ability to comply with the EU’s new regulations. Musk has stated that Twitter intends to conform with EU law, but should not restrict content beyond what is mandated by local law.
Under Musk’s ownership, Twitter has encountered content moderation controversies and advertiser concerns. Musk stated in May that Twitter could shortly generate positive cash flow.
As a counterbalance to China’s influence, the European Union increasingly positions itself as the world’s preeminent tech regulator, establishing rules that it hopes to export to democracies worldwide. Similar tech-legislation is currently being enacted in the United Kingdom, whereas in the United States, momentum for tech regulation remains sluggish.
“Technology has been’stress-testing’ society. “The time has come to turn the tables,” Breton said at a Thursday event at the EU’s office in San Francisco.
Breton added that TikTok has requested that EU officials conduct a comparable stress test in July. A spokesman for TikTok stated that the company has volunteered to meet with EU officials during the summer in order to demonstrate its approach to compliance with the new law, adding that the specifics have yet to be determined.
While in the Bay Area, Breton intends to meet with CEOs including Mark Zuckerberg of Meta Platforms and Sam Altman of OpenAI to discuss the EU’s slew of pending tech laws.
Beginning in late August, the DSA’s strictest rules will apply to at least 19 large platforms, including Twitter, with smaller platforms falling under its jurisdiction the following year. Apple, Amazon.com, Meta Platforms, and Google’s Alphabet unit are also platform-owning entities subject to the regulations.
The EU’s content-moderation law authorizes European regulators to impose a maximum fine of 6% of a company’s annual revenue for violations such as those they may discover during the tests. The EU has the authority to suspend a service in cases of repeated violations.
