After the “worrying” suspension of many journalists from the messaging network, the EU on Friday warned Elon Musk that Twitter could face penalties under future media legislation.
In the most recent dispute over what can and cannot be written on the website since billionaire Elon Musk assumed control of it, Twitter on Thursday suspended the accounts of many journalists who cover the social media platform.
The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Voice of America, and other newspapers’ reporter accounts went black on Thursday.
The corporation has not given the journalists an explanation for why it deleted the accounts, their profiles, and their tweets from the past. Musk, though, accused journalists of disclosing personal information about his movements on Twitter on Thursday night, calling it “essentially assassination coordinates.” He didn’t back up that assertion with any proof.
Following Elon Musk’s decision on Wednesday to permanently ban an account that automatically tracked the travels of his private jet using data that was available to the public, news reporters were abruptly suspended. This prompted Twitter to modify its policies so that no user may share another person’s present location without that person’s permission.
Several of the journalists who were fired on Thursday night had been writing about the new rule and Musk’s justification for it, which includes his claims that his family had been the victims of a stalking incident on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
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“It is worrisome to hear of the arbitrary suspension of journalists from Twitter. Media freedom and fundamental rights must be respected, according to the EU’s Digital Services Act. “By virtue of our Media Freedom Act, this is strengthened,” Vera Jourova, a commissioner for the EU, tweeted.
“Elon Musk ought to be conscious of that. Red lines are present. soon, sanctions as well.”
The warning from Marc Owen Jones Jourova was supported by two pieces of EU legislation, one of which has not yet been passed.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) says that companies that offer services to people in Europe must follow strict rules to protect them from manipulative algorithms, false information, and other online harm.
Although it became effective on November 16, it won’t be fully implemented in all 27 EU member states until next March for the largest web sites, which most certainly include Twitter, and a year later for others.
Companies found to be in violation of the DSA risk fines of up to 6% of their global revenue or potential exclusion from the sizable EU market.
The European Commission has proposed the Media Freedom Act (MFA) for the EU; however, it has not yet become a law.
By ensuring that media outlets are not subjected to excessive pressure and are able to maintain editorial independence, it aims to safeguard media diversity and independence in an increasingly digital environment.
It calls for the creation of an EU authority to oversee self-regulation by very large platforms and address issues like “foreign information manipulation and interference.”
