EU official says Twitter abandons bloc's voluntary pact against disinformation
![]() 2108 Monday, 29 May, 2023, 18:12 Twitter has dropped out of a voluntary European Union agreement to combat online disinformation, a top EU official said Friday. European Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted that Twitter had pulled out of the EU's disinformation “code of practice” that other major social media platforms have pledged to support. But he added that Twitter's “obligation” remained, referring to the EU's tough new digital rules taking effect in August. “You can run but you can’t hide,” Breton said. San Francisco-based Twitter responded with an automated reply, as it does to most press inquiries, and did not comment. The decision to abandon the commitment to fighting false information appears to be the latest move by billionaire owner Elon Musk to loosen the reins on the social media company after he bought it last year. He has rolled back previous anti-misinformation rules, and has thrown its verification system and content-moderation policies into chaos as he pursues his goal of turning Twitter into a digital town square. Google, TikTok, Microsoft and Facebook and Instagram parent Meta are among those that have signed up to the EU code, which requires companies to measure their work on combating disinformation and issue regular reports on their progress. There were already signs Twitter wasn't prepared to live up to its commitments. The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive arm, blasted Twitter earlier this year for failing to provide a full first report under the code, saying it provided little specific information and no targeted data. Breton said that under the new digital rules that incorporate the code of practice, fighting disinformation will become a “legal obligation.” “Our teams will be ready for enforcement,” he said. |
'Peace be with all you,' Pope Leo XIV says in first public words
329Yesterday, 22:27USA Cardinal Prevost elected Pope Leo XIV (video)
443Yesterday, 21:28New pope chosen, white smoke from Sistine Chapel signals (video)
285Yesterday, 20:30The largest St. George ribbon has been raised to the sky (video)
254Yesterday, 16:54Access to Imamoglu's X microblog has been blocked
244Yesterday, 16:12A new Pope has not been elected yet again (video)
299Yesterday, 14:22US Embassy in Georgia warns of possible explosions in Tbilisi
396Yesterday, 11:27Cardinals fail to pick new pope on day one of the conclave
46507.05.2025, 23:53