Twitter leaves EU anti-disinformation code

The social media platform Twitter is abandoning the voluntary code they had chosen to fight false information within the European Union.

This was announced by European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton, as reported by Bloomberg.

In early 2023, Twitter became the only major tech platform that did not submit a full report to the European Union under the code they agreed to follow before Elon Musk acquired the company in late 2022.

"Twitter is opting out of the EU's voluntary Code of Practice created to combat fake information. But the obligations still apply. You can run, but you can't hide," the European Commissioner commented.

He also noted that, in addition to voluntary commitments, the fight against false information will become a legal obligation from August 25 under the European Digital Services Act.

Twitter will be defined as an "extremely large online platform", which requires the company to combat harmful content and submit an annual risk assessment report.

"Our teams will be ready for the implementation of the law," Breton said.

Twitter under Musk's control

Last year, Elon Musk bought Twitter and became its CEO. Shortly after the acquisition, there was a massive reduction in staff, including engineers, which caused problems in the social network.

In particular, Musk fired the entire Brussels office of the company, which raised questions about whether the company would be able to make the necessary changes to comply with EU rules. Failure to comply with the DSA could result in a fine of up to 6% of the company's annual revenue or even force the European Commission to ban the platform entirely.

In addition, Musk has made several changes to the social network's rules, including a policy on the spread of Russian propaganda and disinformation, and has also amended the policy of paying for services that were previously provided free of charge.

Among other things, Musk launched a program to monetize content on Twitter. The social network will allow users to demand payment for access to their content - from long texts to hours-long videos. In addition, according to Musk, Twitter will offer calls and video chat.