As Elon Musk prepares to take over Twitter, everyone is wondering what changes the Tesla boss will make to the network. social. In recent years, Twitter has made huge strides in making the platform less toxic. And now, on wonders what effect the takeover of Elon Musk will have on this progress. Indeed, Musk defines himself as a “free speech absolutist,” and as a result, Twitter could become weaker when it comes to moderating hateful or misinformation content.
“Free speech” could hurt Twitter’s financial health
While the deal with Elon Musk is yet to be finalized, according to the Financial Times, Twitter has already written to advertisers to try to reassure them. After the $44 billion deal was announced, Twitter reportedly sent this letter to let agencies know that the company remains committed to ensuring advertisers’ ads are not displayed alongside malicious or offensive posts. It should also be noted that the Anti-Defamation League, the organization that lobbied Facebook in 2020, has already spoken out about Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter. Blaming the network social without doing enough to combat hate speech, this organization has been involved in a campaign to boycott which has led many companies to remove their ads from Facebook. “Twitter has made progress in tackling online hate and extremism in recent years, so while we want to be cautiously optimistic about how Elon Musk will handle the platform, he has been oblivious to these issues so far,” he said. Jonathan Greenblatt. , leader of the Anti-Defamation League. “We fear that he may have taken things in direction Really different. » Other similar groups such as the National Association for promotion of Colored people and color of The change is also said to have caused their concern, according to the Financial Times. This media also explains that brands in the industry automobile will be especially concerned. Indeed, they would not spend money on a platform associated with one of the main competitors (Tesla).
European Commission brandishes DSA
In Europe, the European Commission has also already reminded that Twitter will have to comply with European moderation rules. “Be it cars or digital platforms, any business operating in Europe must comply with our rules. And this is regardless of the share of participation. Mr Musk knows this very well. He knows the rules ???????? when it comes to automobile and adapts quickly to #DSA,” European Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted. As a reminder, the DSA, or the Digital Services Act, or even the Digital Services Legislation, is a European draft that aims to oblige platforms like Twitter to better moderate content. “With the passage of the Digital Services Act, the days when large online platforms acted as if their size gave them free rein are over. Digital Services Legislation imposes on platforms clear and agreed obligations proportionate to their size, weight and risk,” Thierry Breton recently said on the occasion of the announcement of an agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Member States of the European Union. “This (note DSA) puts into practice the principle that what is illegal offline should also be illegal online. The larger the online platforms, the greater their responsibility,” explained Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. According to Thierry Breton, companies that do not comply with the DSA can be fined up to 6% of global turnover. And in case of repeated violations, the platform may even be banned from the European market.
