EU warns Elon Musk, who will buy Twitter for 5.6 trillion yen, 'keep the rules, or else'

Elon Musk, who bought Twitter for 5.6 trillion yen, is at risk of issuing large fines and bans if the EU does not comply with the ' Digital Services Law ' that cracks down on social media and search platforms. It is reported to have warned.

EU warns Elon Musk over Twitter moderation plans | Financial Times
https://www.ft.com/content/22f66209-f5b2-4476-8cdb-de4befffebe5

EU warns Elon Musk over Twitter moderation plans | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/04/eu-warns-elon-musk-over-twitter-moderation-plans/

On April 26, 2022, Twitter announced that it had agreed to a 5.6 trillion yen acquisition by Elon Musk.

Twitter agrees on Elon Musk's 5.6 trillion yen acquisition plan-GIGAZINE

by Steve Jurvetson

'Freedom of speech is the foundation for democracy to work,' Musk said. 'Twitter is a digital'city square'where essentials for the future of humanity are discussed.' I have made clear my intention to do so.

Meanwhile, the EU announced on April 25, 2022 that it had reached an agreement on the 'Digital Services Act' between the European Parliament and EU member states. The Digital Services Act prohibits major technology companies, including Twitter, from disseminating false information and targeting advertisements on the social media and search platforms they provide, and requires the disclosure of algorithms.

EU reaches agreement on 'Digital Service Law', forces Google, Meta, Twitter, Amazon, etc. to monitor content and transparency of algorithms --GIGAZINE

Shortly after Twitter was reported to have accepted Mr. Musk's takeover offer, EU regional market commissioner Thierry Breton told the British daily Financial Times, 'Mr. Musk manages illegal and harmful content online. We have to follow the rules about. We welcome everyone. We are open but have conditions. But we can tell Mr. Musk, 'Earon, there are rules. Welcome, but this is our rule. It's not your rule that applies here. '

Breton, one of Europe's most influential digital regulators, is one of Europe's most influential digital regulators, as opposed to Musk's plans to promote freedom of expression and loosen regulations. He says he wants to 'confirm the authenticity'.

'People who want to profit from the market must follow our rules. The Twitter board of directors, when operating Twitter in Europe, has moderation, open algorithms, free speech,' Breton said. We need to make sure that we must meet our obligations such as rule transparency, hate speech, revenge pornography and compliance with our own rules regarding harassment. '

'If Twitter doesn't comply with our law, we'll impose a fine of up to 6% of our annual revenue, and if we still don't, we'll ban our business in Europe,' he added. ..

Breton said on Twitter: 'Companies operating in Europe, whether in the car or on social media, need to follow our rules, regardless of their shareholding ratio. Musk often does this. I know. If he is familiar with the EU rules for automobiles, he will soon adapt to the Digital Services Act. '

Be it cars or social media, any company operating in Europe needs to comply with our rules – regardless of their shareholding.

Mr Musk knows this well.

He is familiar with European rules on automotive, and will quickly adapt to the Digital Services Act. #DSA

— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) April 26, 2022