WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – The European Union (EU) Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, issues a warning to Twitter CEO Elon Musk, that the company would need to undergo significant changes to be in compliance with a new European Union law which governs social-media platforms and content moderation.  

According to the Wall Street Journal, Breton held a video call with Musk on Wednesday to discuss the new legislation called the Digital Services Act (DSA).  Though the purchase of Twitter occurred in October, there was still more work to do in Breton’s view. 

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“There is still huge work ahead, as Twitter will have to implement transparent user policies, significantly reinforce content moderation and protect freedom of speech, tackle disinformation with resolve, and limit targeted advertising,” Mr. Breton said, according to a summary of the call provided by his office to the WSJ.

The law is expected to start applying to social-media companies with more than 45 million users by the middle of next year.  If a company is found to be noncompliant with the new law, it could endure orders to comply and fines of up to 6% of its annual revenue, with the potential of having its services blocked if found to be repeatedly noncompliant.  

Breton said compliance with the new rules will require Twitter to have a sufficient combination of artificial intelligence and human resources to reinforce content moderation, according to the summary of the call as reported by the WSJ.  The European Commission’s Digital Services Act was finally agreed upon on April 23, 2022 with the goals of creating a “safer digital space in which the fundamental rights of all users of digital services are protected; to establish a level playing field to foster innovation, growth, and competitiveness, both in the European Single Market and globally,” according to the European Commission. 

“I welcome @elonmusk’s intent to get Twitter 2.0 ready for the #DSA,” Breton said in a tweet, “Huge work ahead still — as Twitter will have to implement transparent user policies, significantly reinforce content moderation and tackle disinformation.”

In a video of Breton and Musk from last May, Musk seemed complimentary of their preliminary conversations regarding the DSA.  

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“I think it’s exactly aligned with my thinking,” Musk said to Breton in the video, “I agree with everything you said, really. I think we’re very much of the same mind and I think anything that my companies can do that would be beneficial to Europe, we want to do that.”

Since Musk announced the purchase of twitter with his tweet “the bird is freed,” in late October, Breton offered a congratulatory clapping emoji followed by a warning “In Europe, the bird will fly by our rules. #DSA.” 

Michigan News Source will be following this ongoing story.