EU Commission VP Jourová warns Twitter of sanctions for allowing free speech.
Věra Jourová, the European Commission’s Vice President for Values and Transparency, recently warned Elon Musk at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Twitter will face sanctions if it does not shut down certain forms of speech. This is due to the upcoming Digital Services Act and Code of Practice, which will be part of the new EU regulatory framework and will aim to protect the rights of online users and remove illegal content or disinformation.
The European Commission previously had ‘gentlemen’s agreements’ with tech companies and other ways of negotiating aside from legislation. This included the Code of Conduct against Hate Speech, which was implemented in 2016 to combat the rise of online hatred. Jourová also suggested that the US will soon have hate speech laws of their own.
Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter has been a notable departure from restrictive speech trends on the platform and Big Tech in general. He has proclaimed that “New Twitter policy is to follow the science, which necessarily includes reasoned questioning of the science.”
This stance has been met with criticism from European politicians, who are worried that the platform will become a haven for illegal content and disinformation. However, it has been welcomed by many who are in favor of free speech, as it allows for the expression of ideas and opinions without fear of censorship.
Overall, the European Commission’s stance on freedom of speech on Twitter is clear: they will not tolerate any form of illegal content or disinformation, and any violations of their regulations will be met with sanctions. This is a stark contrast to Musk’s stance, which allows for reasoned questioning of the science, and it will be interesting to see how this situation plays out in the future.
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