Musk Takes on the EU: Twitter to fight European Commission over disinformation code of conduct

Twitter’s decision to leave the European Commission’s voluntary code of conduct against online disinformation, has not gone well with the members of the Commission, and the EU legislators. Also read: Twitter to exit Europe? Elon Musk pulls Twitter out of EU agreement to fight disinformation Elon Musk’s decision to withdraw from abiding by the code of conduct has led to some harsh criticism from the European Commission. The code, set up in 2018, has 44 online platforms signed to it. This includes Meta (formerly Facebook) and Google, as signatories. Twitter is the only major platform to have withdrawn from the code thus far. ‘Twitter chose confrontation’ Věra Jourová, the Vice President for Values and Transparency at the European Commission, expressed disappointment with Twitter’s decision, stating that the company has chosen confrontation instead of cooperation. She emphasized that even though the code of conduct is voluntary, complying with regulations to combat disinformation will become a legal obligation under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which will come into effect on August 25 of this year. Jourová made it clear that Twitter’s actions and compliance with EU law will be closely scrutinized and urged the company to comply with the upcoming Digital Services Act if it wishes to operate and thrive in the European market. ‘Saw it coming’ The departure of Twitter from the code of conduct was anticipated by Brussels, especially considering the changes in content moderation that occurred after Elon Musk’s acquisition of the company in November. Jourová expressed sadness over Twitter’s decision, noting that many dedicated and capable employees at the company had worked collaboratively with the European Commission. Also read: Elon Musk defends uptick in Twitter censorship, calls journo ‘numbskull’ for pointing it out She stressed the importance of platforms assuming responsibility and upholding a reinforced sense of responsibility in their operations. Twitter to also not label AI-generated content? Additionally, Twitter’s departure from the European Union’s voluntary code of conduct means that the platform will not be part of a newly announced voluntary labelling system for generative artificial intelligence (AI) content. The European Commission unveiled this system on Monday with the intention of assisting online users in easily identifying content created by AI, thereby combating disinformation. Also read: Is Elon Musk going to compromise Twitter for his business prospects in China? Věra Jourová reiterated the Commission’s commitment to protecting freedom of speech while highlighting the need to regulate AI production. She expressed her belief that machines should not possess the same freedom of speech as humans. The European Commission aims to establish the AI labelling system promptly and have it operational as soon as possible, emphasizing its importance in the fight against disinformation. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .