The Digital Minister of France Jean-Noel Barrot has threatened a possible “ban” of Twitter in the European Union could occur if Twitter does not follow the European Digital Services Act, Politico reported. The European Digital Services Act is a bill passed in the European Union in 2020 that regulates the digital marketplace, including information technology and communication services. The bill will go into effect in August 2023, Politico reported.
Barrot’s threats of a ban reportedly followed Twitter’s decision to withdraw from a voluntary rulebook that included anti-disinformation guidelines for big tech companies, including Meta, Alphabet, and Microsoft, Deadline reported.
Despite the political backlash and threats of a ban, media analysts have reasoned that Musk may have pulled out of Twitter from disinformation rules because he intended to end business operations in Europe entirely. Musk withdrew from the agreement and then reportedly “trolled” the mainstream with “alt-right memes” and “dog whistles,” Business Insider reported. Media analysts saw the withdrawal as a sign that Musk may be considering ending European business operations altogether. In addition to an analysis of Musk’s intentions, a European Union official told Euractiv news that they had anticipated Musk’s actions and that it was “only a matter of time,” before he withdrew from the voluntary agreement. At the time of this report, it had not yet been announced whether Twitter would leave Europe entirely of its accord, or if it would be banned.
Elon Musk did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment. The team of Twitter reportedly responded to Business Insider with an automated message.
Twitter has become the subject of political controversy for strong stances against controversial subjects, and these stances have led to enforced bans of certain users and content. In May, Twitter banned a self-defined “Luciferian” and “Anti-Christ” platform user from the platform due to his promotion of a flag that promoted pedophilia, Fox News reported. Twitter owner Musk reportedly stated that such behavior as promoting pedophilia would “not be tolerated” on the Twitter platform. Musk had reportedly stated upon taking over Twitter that the platform “had not been doing enough” to prevent the exploitation of minors on its platform.
