The video follows a meeting and discussion between Mr. Musk and the EU commissioner. And it appears to confirm that, in Mr. Musk’s words, the billionaire’s plans for Twitter are “exactly aligned” with EU regulations.
Why did a meeting discuss Elon Musk’s Twitter and EU regulations occur now?
Prior to the video, reports had indicated that Mr. Breton would be taking a hardline approach on Twitter. The commissioner noted that Twitter, whether under Elon Musk or not, would still need to follow the rules to operate in the EU. That’s specifically as those rules apply to social media companies, as defined by the EU’s new Digital Services Act (DSA). DSA regulations are designed to combat misinformation and disinformation, as well as to protect users. Namely, by requiring companies such as Twitter to show how they curb the spread of bad information. And via bans on ads that target minors, specific ethnic, religious, or political groups. As well as ads that specifically target sexual orientations. All of that is in addition to requiring companies to show how their systems work related to that and sharing data with researchers. The recent regulation is explicitly designed to combat misinformation and disinformation. And, subsequently, requires internet companies like Twitter to show how they curb the spread of those. That’s in addition to outright bans on ads that target a wide swath of users. Including ads targeted to minors, ethnicities, political affiliations, religions, and sexual orientations. Mr. Musk had previously defined his definition of free speech as “absolutist.” But has also agreed to comply with and defer back to local laws regarding the platform. The prospective Twitter owner has also stated that its algorithms should be open source, which aligns well with the abovementioned EU regulations for the tech industry. — Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) May 9, 2022
