EU ‘disappointed’ in Twitter report on how the company fights disinformation
Win McNamee | Getty Images
Twitter delivered a lackluster report about how it fights disinformation on its platform, European officials said in a press release Thursday, warning that they expect more from the Elon Musk-run platform ahead of the enforcement of sweeping new regulations in the region.
Twitter issued the report, along with other major social media platforms, as part of the 2022 Code of Practice on Disinformation, a set of regulatory standards that 34 companies agreed to follow. The 2022 standard built on an earlier version and followed guidelines set out by the European Commission.
“I am disappointed to see that Twitter report lags behind others and I expect a more serious commitment to their obligations stemming from the Code,” the EU’s Vice President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová said in a statement.
“Russia is engaged also in a full-blown disinformation war and the platforms need to live up to their responsibilities,” Jourová added.
The EU said in its press release that unlike other signatories of the code, who submitted their reports on time and with a similar reporting template addressing all the commitments, Twitter did not live up to the same standards. The company’s report was “short of data, with no information on commitments to empower the fact-checking community,” the press release said, noting the next set of reports are due in July.
Though the code is a voluntary self-regulatory tool, platforms like Twitter will soon be subject to new rules in Europe imposing new regulations around content moderation. The so-called Digital Services Act will become enforceable as soon as this year for the largest platforms and includes limits on targeted ads, algorithmic transparency requirements and mandates that allo users to challenge content moderation decisions.
The EU’s Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton warned Musk once he purchased Twitter last year that the platform would still have to play by Europe’s rules under the DSA. Last month he spoke with Musk again about readying the platform for the new rules. Musk has said he intends to comply and tweeted that “The goals of transparency, accountability & accuracy of information are aligned with ours.”
But Breton seemed hopeful Musk was committed to getting Twitter up to speed. After speaking with Musk, Breton tweeted in November he welcomed the CEO’s intent to get Twitter ready for the new regulations.
“Huge work ahead still — as Twitter will have to implement transparent user policies, significantly reinforce content moderation and tackle disinformation,” Breton said at the time. “Looking forward to seeing progress in all these areas.”
But in a statement Thursday following Twitter’s report, Breton struck a somewhat different tone, though he did not name Twitter directly.
“It comes as no surprise that the degree of quality vary greatly according to the resources companies have allocated to this project,” Breton said. “It is in the interest of all signatories to abide by their commitment to fully implement the Code of practice against disinformation, in anticipation of the obligations under the Digital Services Act.”
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
WATCH: Elon Musk polls Twitter users over whether he should remain as CEO
Tik Tok creators gather before a press conference to voice their opposition to the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” pending crackdown legislation on TikTok in the House of Representatives, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 12, 2024.
Craig Hudson | Reuters
The Supreme Court on Friday will hear oral arguments in the case involving the future of TikTok in the U.S., which could ban the popular app as soon as next week.
The justices will consider whether the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, the law that targets TikTok’s ban and imposes harsh civil penalties for app “entities” that continue to carry the service after Jan.19, violates the U.S. Constitution’s free speech protections.
It’s unclear when the court will hand down a decision, and if China’s ByteDance continues to refuse to divest TikTok to an American company, it faces a complete ban nationwide.
What will change about the user experience?
The roughly 115 million U.S. TikTok monthly active users could face a range of scenarios depending on when the Supreme Court hands down a decision.
If no word comes before the law takes effect on Jan. 19 and the ban goes through, it’s possible that users would still be able to post or engage with the app if they already have it downloaded. However, those users would likely be unable to update or redownload the app after that date, multiple legal experts said.
Thousands of short-form video creators who generate income from TikTok through ad revenue, paid partnerships, merchandise and more will likely need to transition their businesses to other platforms, like YouTube or Instagram.
“Shutting down TikTok, even for a single day, would be a big deal, not just for people who create content on TikTok, but everyone who shares or views content,” said George Wang, a staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute who helped write the institute’s amicus briefs on the case.
“It sets a really dangerous precedent for how we regulate speech online,” Wang said.
Who supports and opposes the ban?
Dozens of high-profile amicus briefs from organizations, members of Congress and President-elect Donald Trump were filed supporting both the government and ByteDance.
The government, led by Attorney General Merrick Garland, alleges that until ByteDance divests TikTok, the app remains a “powerful tool for espionage” and a “potent weapon for covert influence operations.”
Trump’s brief did not voice support for either side, but it did ask the court to oppose banning the platform and allow him to find a political resolution that allows the service to continue while addressing national security concerns.
The short-form video app played a notable role in both Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ presidential campaigns in 2024, and it’s one of the most common news sources for younger voters.
In a September Truth Social post, Trump wrote in all caps Americans who want to save TikTok should vote for him. The post was quoted in his amicus brief.
What comes next?
It’s unclear when the Supreme Court will issue its ruling, but the case’s expedited hearing has some predicting that the court could issue a quick ruling.
The case will have “enormous implications” since TikTok’s user base in the U.S. is so large, said Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of Berkeley Law.
“It’s unprecedented for the government to prohibit platforms for speech, especially one so many people use,” Chemerinsky said. “Ultimately, this is a tension between free speech issues on the one hand and claims of national security on the other.”
WATCH: It appears TikTok could really get shut down, says Jim Cramer
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports9 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway