Twitter Exits Voluntary EU Disinformation Code but Obligations Remain, EU Commissioner Says

The EU's disinformation code includes signatories like Facebook parent Meta, Google, Microsoft, and TikTok.

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 27 May 2023 15:12 IST

Twitter Exits Voluntary EU Disinformation Code but Obligations Remain, EU Commissioner Says

Photo Credit: Twitter

Since buying Twitter, billionaire Elon Musk has relaxed the moderation of problematic content

Highlights

EU's code of practice on disinformation was launched in 2018
EU's disinformation code covers smaller platforms and advertisers
Elon Musk completed $44 billion deal to buy Twitter in October last year

Twitter has decided to leave the EU's disinformation code, a voluntary pact that groups together the major social platforms, but "its obligations remain," EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted Saturday.

Launched in 2018, the EU's code of practice on disinformation counts nearly three dozen signatories including the giants in the sector such as Meta, Google, Twitter, Microsoft and TikTok.

Twitter leaves EU voluntary Code of Practice against disinformation.

But obligations remain. You can run but you can't hide.

Beyond voluntary commitments, fighting disinformation will be legal obligation under #DSA as of August 25.

Our teams will be ready for enforcement.
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) May 26, 2023

It also covers smaller platforms, as well as advertisers and fact-checkers and non-governmental organisations.

The code was written by the industry players themselves and contains over three dozen pledges such as better cooperation with fact-checkers and not promoting actors distributing disinformation.

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"You can run but you can't hide. Beyond voluntary commitments, fighting disinformation will be legal obligation under DSA (digital services law) as of August 25," he wrote.

"Our teams will be ready for enforcement," he warned.

Since buying the social network six months ago, billionaire Elon Musk has relaxed the moderation of problematic content, which appears to have amplified the voices of notorious propagators of disinformation on the platform.

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"If (Elon Musk) doesn't take the code seriously, then it's better that he quits," a European Commission official had told AFP on Friday.

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