The French media regulator asks the social network, which has separated from half of its employees, to confirm it by November 24 that it is able to ensure the fight against disinformation and HAINE content.
mo12345lemonde with AFP and reuters
The recent restructuring of Twitter since his takeover by Elon Musk arouses many questions. In a letter dated Friday, November 18, and sent to the European headquarters of the social network in Dublin, the president of the Arcom, Roch-Olivier Maistre, expresses his “great concern” after the hemorrhage of departures affecting the company Acquired for $ 44 billion (around 43.1 billion euros) by the founder of Tesla.
The French audiovisual regulator thus wonders about “Twitter’s ability to maintain a safe environment” for its users, explains Roch-Olivier Maistre which recalls that the firm with the blue bird decided, in early November , to separate from half of its employees, “or 3,700 people”, and “around 75 %” of its providers. The director general of the French subsidiary, Damien Viel, himself announced his departure in a tweet on Sunday .
Twitter had affirmed, in a questionnaire published by the CSA (predecessor of Arch) last year, employ 1,867 people dedicated to “the application of [its] policies and the moderation of content”, that is, i.e. “More than a third” of its “global enrollment”.
The European Union will be able to sanction Twitter
The social network, which had 5.6 million unique visitors per day in France in September, according to Médiametrie, must in particular “fight against manipulation of information” under a dedicated law. Adopted at the end of 2018, it provides that web giants set up reporting systems and report their efforts to Arch, which can send them recommendations. Twitter is also “subject to all means obligations” to combat hate content, provided for by law for confidence in the digital economy.
If he cannot sanction the platform, the regulator is responsible for ensuring the proper application of these legal obligations. Arch thus asks the social network, by “November 24 at the latest”, to “confirm” it that it is “able” to face it and “to inform it of the evolution to evolution Brief maturity of human and technological resources “which are devoted to it.
The regulator warns wanting “more broadly ensuring” of Twitter’s involvement in the implementation “of the European law on digital services (DSA), much more restrictive. This historic regulation, which Twitter will have to apply around the summer of 2023, authorizes the European Commission to inflict fines on the platforms of up to 6 % of their global turnover, or even a prohibition to operate in the Union European in case of repeated serious offenses.