Elon Musk Warned by EU Official to Keep Putin Propaganda Off Twitter
Elon Musk risks giving a helping hand to Russian President Vladimir Putin if Twitter Inc.'s recent staff cuts prevent the platform from rooting out propaganda about the war in Ukraine, one of the European Union's top officials warned.
Failing to take on fake or misleading content online could “lead to the very quick abuse” of Twitter, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova, who's spearheading efforts to tackle online disinformation, said in an interview with Bloomberg. This includes making sure the platform doesn't become a hub for Russian propaganda.
“By not acting actively against the propaganda, which means to remove the pieces of propaganda, the disinformation, then you are actively supporting the war,” she said. “This would be a very tricky and maybe dangerous endeavor or adventure for Mr. Musk” who “wants to be seen as somebody who is helping Ukraine. ” She cited Musk's Starlink satellite system, which has been providing internet communications for both Ukrainian citizens and its military.
The comments are the latest warning shot over the possible side-effects of mass resignations and layoffs after Musk closed his $44 billion purchase of the world's most influential social media platform -- including its ability to abide by a raft of EU legislation including the bloc's strict General Data Protection Regulation and new Digital Services Act.
“If the network is easily used by Russian propaganda” then “you are very probably breaching the rules of sanctions because you might be distributing the content developed by the sanctioned media, like Russia Today and Sputnik,” said Jourova, a former Czech politician.
Twitter didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, Jourova said the
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