Twitter risks EU ban over moderation lapses, Musk told
Thierry Breton, EU commissioner for digital policy, told Musk Twitter may not comply with the EU's rules on hate speech
The European Union (EU) has warned Elon Musk that Twitter risks fines, and perhaps a ban, if it doesn't adhere to its stringent guidelines for content moderation.
The warning could be the beginning of a regulatory battle over how the social media platform will operate across Europe.
According to the Financial Times, Thierry Breton, the EU's commissioner for digital policy, spoke with Musk via video chat on Wednesday to discuss Twitter's readiness for the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The landmark law, which is scheduled to go into force the next year, aims to establish a worldwide standard for how digital firms must police online content.
Under the new law, it will be necessary for tech firms to strictly monitor their platforms for content that encourages terrorism, child sexual exploitation, hate speech and financial fraud.
Breton gave Musk a number of requirements, including giving up the practice of restoring banned users in an "arbitrary" manner and committing to an "extensive independent audit" of the platform by 2023.
He said Twitter risked violating the EU's new Digital Services Act if it failed to adhere to those guidelines.
Breton reiterated that under the legislation, Twitter might be subject to a ban throughout all of Europe or penalties of up to 6% of its worldwide revenue.
The EU's commissioner had previously urged Musk to abide by current EU regulations against hate speech and misinformation online. Similar remarks were made by Didier Reynders, the European Commission's justice chief.
Breton said he was pleased to hear that Musk views the EU regulations as "a sensible approach" to adopt on a global level.
Musk has previously said that Twitter would abide by all applicable laws.
The EU has demanded, among other things, that Musk lay out precisely which users run the risk of being blacklisted. Following a user referendum on whether the former US president should be allowed to return to the website, Musk has restored Donald Trump's account. He has also banned critical voices.
Breton also urged Musk to implement stringent advertising regulations, such as a ban on targeting consumers or minors based on personal information like their political or religious beliefs.
The EU wants Twitter to agree to an audit by the summer of next year, when the business must provide information, such as the number of active users and banned accounts.
Senior EU officials are worried that Twitter won't have enough employees to follow the new regulations after Musk sacked more than half of its 7,500 employees last month.
Recent changes to Twitter's policy on Covid misinformation mean that the social media platform is no longer taking any action against content that violates previous rules.
By abandoning the Covid misinformation policy, the platform will no longer label posts that contain untrue information about the disease or offer additional corrective information as it previously did.
Musk has previously said that all legally permissible content should be allowed on Twitter. On Monday, he said that his actions were part of a "revolution against online censorship in America."
Along with European regulators, Musk risks crossing Apple and Google, who operate the majority of the world's smartphones.
Musk claimed this week that Apple had threatened to remove Twitter from its App Store, without telling it the reason.
Apple has so far not responded to Musk's claim.