Responsible for the supervision of digital platforms, Arch sent a first ultimatum to the social network. Brussels hopes to show him the obligations set in new texts accompanied by sanctions.
by Alexandre Piquard
This is a warning stroke: used to a measured speech, the Arch expressed, Tuesday, November 22, “its great concern” on the “ability of Twitter to maintain a safe environment for users of its service” . In an official letter addressed to the management of the social network, the ex-superior audiovisual advisor fears that the very numerous layoffs to which the new owner, Elon Musk, jeopardize the moderation of illicit, hateful, discriminatory content , misleading …
Now in charge of the supervision of digital platforms in several fields, the Arch already fixes a first ultimatum to the company bought by the boss of Tesla and SpaceX: this is required to transmit it, “at most late Thursday, November 24 “, the detail of” human and technological means “devoted to compliance with its obligations.
The firm tone sums up the state of mind of French and European, even American regulators: Elon Musk is expected at the turn. His desire to acquire Twitter, in the name of “freedom of expression”, had already been known for a few weeks when, on April 23, the political agreement on the European Regulation Digital Services Act (DSA) was sealed, which fixes new means of means to platforms. The irruption, in the field of social networks, of the libertarian and atypical boss, supported by the supporters of Donald Trump, contributed to the political dynamics of this text.
The European Commissioner at the internal market, Thierry Breton, also wanted, as of May 9, to meet in person the champion of electric cars, in his Texan factory of Austin, during a sequence relayed by a small video on Twitter . “In Europe, the bird will fly according to our rules,” warned French. “We are on the same wavelength,” said Musk, then a candidate for the buyout of the social network. 2>
fines of up to 20 million euros
Since then, in Brussels as in Paris, the entrepreneur’s maneuvers have been scrutinized. When, one week after the actual acquisition of Twitter, at the end of October, Mr. Musk brutally dismissed half of his 7,500 employees, the Arch checked that its interlocutors, especially at the European headquarters in Ireland, were still in place.
Since then, however, the new owner has gone further and has “broken the contract of several thousand providers, around 75 % of them, according to external estimates”, writes the authority. However, moderation is notably ensured by a team of 1,876 of these contract workers worldwide, according to the figures transmitted in 2020 by Twitter – an already deemed level. Not to mention that the person responsible for public affairs in Brussels was dismissed and that the boss of Twitter France resigned…
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