EU warns Elon Musk that Twitter must play by its tough new rules

euronews.com:

Twitter will have to "adapt completely to European rules" whatever Elon Musk's intentions regarding freedom of speech, the European Commission warned on Tuesday.

The EU's internal market commissioner Thierry Breton said the American social network, soon to be acquired by the billionaire entrepreneur, will have to comply with the EU's Digital Services Act, reining in the power of big tech.

“Whether on online harassment, the sale of counterfeit products... child pornography, or calls for acts of terrorism... Twitter will have to adapt to our European regulations which do not exist in the United States,” EU commissioner Thierry Breton told AFP.

"Be it cars or social media, any company operating in Europe needs to comply with our rules – regardless of their shareholding," he said on Twitter. "Mr Musk knows this well. He is familiar with European rules on automotive, and will quickly adapt to the Digital Services Act."

Elon Musk has promised more freedom on Twitter, sparking fierce debate about the future of the social network, with some worrying that the platform could become more toxic. However, he acknowledged that there were limits imposed by law.

The Digital Services Act, which will come into force in a few months' time once it has completed its legislative process, updates the EU's 20-year-old e-commerce directive, which was born when tech giants like Facebook (Meta) and Amazon were still in their infancy. The aim is to put an end to lawlessness and abuse on the internet, while better defending users' rights.

The new regulation stipulates that social media platforms have an obligation to "promptly" remove any illegal content (according to national and European laws) as soon as they become aware of it. It also obliges social