With EU digital regulations coming into force this month, Twitter which was newly acquired by Elon Musk, will have to comply to the new set of rules. The DMA, Digital Market Act, will target online platforms digital spaces to make it safer. Large platforms will have cumulative obligations to follow if they wish to continue to operate in EU countries.
Twitter, which audience is 1.5 times bigger in the EU compared to US, will need to adapt with the new regulations if they want to keep their users. But with the liberation of the freedom of speech wanted by Elon Musk, some of the new rules may clash with his ideas. Replying to Musk tweet he wrote after taking over Twitter, European Commissioner Thierry Breton replied “In Europe, the bird will fly by our 🇪🇺 rules”.
Among the new DMA regulations, one states that online platform should report criminal offences. With a platform like Twitter, known for hosting some strong comments and publications which are seen as criminal offences by the EU, European users will now have to follow the rules. If the regulations are not followed, the Commission has warned that they have the tools to take down Twitter or other misbehaving platforms.
The EU Commission is planning a strong digital strategy to take EU countries forward on the path of data and technology innovation. On their website, they promote that “Europe must now strengthen its digital sovereignty and set standards, rather than following those of others”.