Twitter Lags Behind Other Tech Giants In Disinformation Fight, EU Warns—As Musk’s Platform Antagonizes Regulators

Topline

Twitter’s efforts to tackle disinformation have fallen behind other major platforms in the last six months, the European Commission said on Thursday, chastising the platform for not taking its responsibilities seriously enough as worries mount over the firm’s ability to moderate content under the leadership of billionaire Elon Musk.

Elon Musk purchased Twitter last year.

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Key Facts

Twitter failed to provide the European Union with a complete report on how it has tackled disinformation in the last six months, according to a statement from the bloc’s executive branch.

The Commission said Twitter’s report, which was supposed to outline the platform’s efforts to implement the EU’s new anti-disinformation charter, was incomplete, lacked data and didn’t give any information on its plans to work with fact checkers.

Out of dozens of tech companies including Alphabet’s Google, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and Twitch asked to submit a progress update, Twitter was the only one to provide an incomplete report, the EU said.

European Commission Vice President for Values Věra Jourová, who spearheads the disinformation code, said she was “disappointed to see that Twitter’s report lags behind others” and expects a “more serious commitment” to tackling disinformation from the company.

Twitter did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment on the report.

News Peg

Compliance with the EU’s disinformation code is voluntary but eases some of the requirements under the bloc’s tough Digital Services Act, which regulators will begin enforcing in September and could fine companies 6% of annual global turnover for failing to properly moderate content. Twitter signed up to the scheme before Musk took over and a lot has changed since. His sweeping headcount reductions, stated commitments to absolute free speech and drastic policy changes—including reinstating swaths of banned users like former President Donald Trump—have both irked and worried regulators over the platform’s ability or willingness to tackle major issues. The failure to provide a report is the latest in a series of steps to provoke EU regulators, who have repeatedly warned Musk that Twitter must do more to protect its users. The complete loss of the platform’s office in Brussels, the heart of EU politics, likely soured relations further.

Tangent

Musk’s Twitter is expected to end free access to its API on Thursday, a feature that is vital for researchers examining the platform and monitoring topics like political polarization and misinformation. The EU’s top diplomat warned it could hamper efforts to combat disinformation at a time when more effort is needed, particularly with Russia’s spreading of propaganda over Ukraine. Jourová echoed concerns over Kremlin propaganda on Thursday and said Russia is engaged in a “full-blown disinformation war and the platforms need to live up to their responsibilities.”

Crucial Quote

Thierry Breton, the EU’s Internal Market Commissioner, said the difference in quality among reports from different companies should come as “no surprise.” Quality has varied “greatly according to the resources companies have allocated to this project,” he added, without referencing Twitter directly.

Forbes Valuation

$191.4 billion. That’s the estimated net worth of Elon Musk, according to Forbes’ real-time tracker. He is the second richest person in the world, lagging behind French luxury goods magnate Bernard Arnault.

What To Watch For

Companies agreeing to the disinformation code agree to submit updated reports every six months. Twitter, alongside other signatories, will therefore be expected to file another report in July.