‘Twitter withdraws from voluntary EU agreement that combats disinformation’

European Commissioner Thierry Breton says Twitter is withdrawing from a voluntary European Union agreement to combat disinformation. Twitter has not yet confirmed this. However, from August 25, combating disinformation will become legally mandatory for internet platforms.

Twitter, Meta, Microsoft and Google, among others, have signed this voluntary EU code of conduct. The agreement requires tech companies to combat disinformation and report on it regularly. For example, the companies must report how much advertising revenue has been obtained from actors spreading disinformation. Information must also be provided on the number of accepted or rejected advertisements of a political nature and the extent to which manipulative behavior has been detected.

Breton states that despite the withdrawal from the voluntary EU agreement, Twitter cannot avoid its obligation. “You can run, but you can’t hide,” the European Commissioner reports on Twitter. “Apart from voluntary commitments, combating disinformation will become a legal requirement under the DSA from August 25. Our teams stand ready for enforcement.”

The Digital Services Act that Breton is talking about was created to better protect internet users against disinformation and other harmful content and privacy violations. Thanks to the DSA, authorities should be able to take action more easily and quickly against platforms that do not or insufficiently combat disinformation. Tech companies that are in violation can expect a fine of 6 percent of turnover. There may also be a ban on operating in Europe.

The fact that Twitter would withdraw from the voluntary EU agreement does not come completely out of the blue. After Elon Musk took over Twitter in October 2022, several anti-disinformation rules were rolled back by the company and there was looser moderation.

European Commissioner Thierry Breton. Image: European Commission / Lukasz Kobus