The social network Twitter decided to withdraw from the European Union (EU) code of good practice against disinformation on the Internet, although it must continue to apply its rules if it wants to continue operating in the region, the European Industry Commissioner, Thierry Breton, reported today.
“You can run, but you can’t hide. Beyond voluntary commitments, the fight against misinformation will be a legal obligation under the DSA (the Digital Services Act) from August 25,” Breton wrote on that same network. social, owned by Elon Musk.
“Our teams will be prepared to enforce the law,” he warned, quoted by the AFP news agency.
Some 30 companies adhere to this code of good practices, created in 2018 with the participation in the drafting of industry giants such as Meta, Google, Twitter, Microsoft and TikTok.
The text includes some 40 recommendations aimed at establishing cooperation with information verification services and stopping advertising pages that spread false news.
In addition, it promotes the reinforcement of measures that try to prevent fake accounts, bot farms that amplify misleading messages or identity theft.
Twitter’s output of the code was not a surprise.
After having acquired that platform last year, the millionaire softened the moderation in the short message service.
The platform stopped warning its users about potentially false content and began to charge the verified user’s blue “check”, with which it ceased to be a function to distinguish relevant profiles.
“If (Musk) is not serious about the code, it’s almost better that he abandon it,” a European Commission official said last night.
The code of good practices is expected to enter into force on August 25 and almost twenty digital platforms with more than 45 million active users will adhere to it.
Those who fail to comply may receive a fine of up to 6% of their worldwide annual turnover.
Companies will be required to promptly remove illegal content, ensure personalized advertising is not directed at minors, and limit misinformation and harmful content such as cyberbullying.
Source: Ambito
