Twitter bosses have been warned they cannot be complacent in the countdown to the launch of the European Union's tough new digital rulebook, a top EU official said after carrying a “stress test” of the company's systems in Silicon Valley.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) comes into force on 25 August and will set standards on hate speech and fake news that the world’s biggest online platforms all must obey.
Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for internal market, praised Twitter for its willingness to fall into line with the DSA but added: "Twitter is taking the exercise seriously and has identified the key areas on which it needs to focus to comply with the DSA."
Though he declined to outline the departments in which it needed to improve, he added: “With two months to go before the new EU regulation kicks in, work needs to continue for the systems to be in place and work effectively and quickly.”
Breton's remarks followed a voluntary test at Twitter's San Francisco headquarters with owner Elon Musk and new CEO Linda Yaccarino.
The mock exercise tested Twitter's readiness to cope with the DSA's requirements, including protecting children online and detecting and mitigating risks like disinformation, under both normal and extreme situations.
Twitter's global government affairs team tweeted that the company was on track to be ready when the DSA comes into force.
Thank you @ThierryBreton. Europe is very important to Twitter and we’re focused on our continued partnership. https://t.co/eXo1E5SBwr pic.twitter.com/5UN7EiKUeV
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayacc) June 23, 2023
Yaccarino said she welcomed the visit and tweeted: “Europe is very important to Twitter and we’re focused on our continued partnership.”
Musk agreed in December to let the EU carry out the stress test, which the bloc is offering to all tech companies before the rules take effect.
Despite Musk’s claims to the contrary, independent researchers have found misinformation — as well as hate speech — spreading on Twitter since the billionaire Tesla CEO took over the company last year.
Last month, Breton warned Twitter that it could not hide from its obligations after the social media site abandoned the EU's voluntary code of practice on online disinformation, which other social media platforms have pledged to support.
“If laws are passed, Twitter will obey the law,” Musk told the the French broadcaster France 2 TV channel this week when asked about the DSA.
Facility
Under the new law, it will be easier for European users of big tech platforms to report illegal content such as hate speech. They will get more information on why they have been recommended certain content.
Violations will incur fines worth up to 6 percent of annual global revenue — amounting to billions of dollars for some tech giants — or even a ban on operating in the EU, with its with 450 million consumers.
Breton is also meeting Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, the dominant supplier of semiconductors used in AI systems, for talks on the EU's Chips Act to boost the continent's chipmaking industry.
He is also scheduled to discuss the EU’s digital rules and artificial intelligence regulations with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the OpenAI boss Sam Altman whose company makes the AI chatbot ChatGPT.
