Twitter has pulled out of a European Union voluntary agreement to combat online disinformation. That made European Commissioner Thierry Breton Friday night known on Twitter. The agreement requires tech companies to combat disinformation and regularly report on its progress. Google, TikTok, Microsoft and Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta, among others, had signed the EU’s disinformation “code of practice”. We are still waiting for a confirmation from Twitter itself that it is leaving the agreement.
According to Breton, Twitter’s withdrawal does not mean that the tech company should not meet its obligation. He was referring to the new digital EU rules that will come into force this summer. “You can run, but you can’t hide,” said Breton.
From August 25, fighting disinformation will become a legal obligation for internet platforms under the Digital Services Act. This should better protect internet users against harmful content and privacy violations, among other things. The new regulations provide authorities with better tools to tackle platforms that allow disinformation and hate messages to run their course.
This will make supervision more stringent and infringements will no longer go unpunished. In the event of violations, the platforms face high fines. In extreme cases, they disappear from the internet altogether. “Our teams will be ready to enforce,” said Breton.
There were already signs that Twitter was unwilling to honor its commitments. Earlier this year, the European Commission was critical of the lack of careful reporting from Twitter. That report lacked specific information and targeted data. The decision to renege on the agreement is in line with the plans of Twitter owner Elon Musk, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to loosen the reins on the platform. Previously, he rolled back internal anti-disinformation rules and drastically changed the verification system and content moderation policies.