Twitter may be under strict control in EU
2022.12.22 07:44
Twitter may be under strict control in EU
Budrigannews.com – Twitter’s erratic behavior under new owner Elon Musk, according to a senior German official, poses a threat to free speech, and the company should be directly monitored by the European Commission, along with other tech companies, the official said on Thursday.
Germany’s economy ministry state secretary for competition policy, Sven Giegold, cited Twitter’s abrupt suspension of journalists’ accounts and access restrictions to some links.
Giegold wrote a letter to two European Commissioners urging the EU to conduct an investigation and urging the Commission to take action to stop Twitter’s “anti-competitive behavior.”
The European Union and Twitter did not immediately respond to inquiries for comment.
While distributing his letter, Giegold wrote on Twitter, “General terms and conditions that change almost every hour, erratic justifications for extensive restrictions on links, and the blocking of journalists threaten freedom of competition and pose a risk to freedom of expression, information, and the press.”
On Tuesday, Musk announced that he would be leaving his position as CEO of Twitter.
Chaos and controversy have marred his $44 billion acquisition in October. The suspension and resumption of journalists’ accounts, as well as changes to Twitter’s privacy policy in December, were slammed by European news organizations, advocacy groups, and officials.
The government of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has previously stated that it is keeping an eye on the events at the social media company with increasing concern.
Government agencies in Germany are already being urged by regulators to stop sending announcements only to privately owned platforms and to look into alternatives like Mastodon, a new decentralized social media network.
The Commission’s new digital market regulations say that it will take over the oversight of large platforms like Facebook (NASDAQ:) as well as Google (NASDAQ:), Added Giegold.
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He stated, “However, Twitter is not yet classified as a dominant digital platform, in addition to the fact that the company’s sales are still too low.” Nonetheless, Twitter has a significant impact on shaping public opinion both globally and in Europe.”
