That was one of Elon Musk’s promises when he arrived at Twitter the social network was supposed to become the most accurate source of information in the world. Of course, it sounded just as good as many of his other promises, such as Tesla’s autonomous driving reaching Level 5 by the end of 2021 (remember, it’s still Level 2 in mid-2023, with no problems), or when he claimed that his Hyperloop is the future of public transportation (it was later revealed that this was just smoke and that he said this to prevent the construction of a rail system in California that could affect Tesla sales).

those who we already have Musk as a source of false informationWe were under no illusions when he claimed that the reliability of Twitter’s information would be elevated to the sacred altars of pure truth. And that the plan was to end a key element of current disinformation techniques on social media in general, but on Twitter in particular: bots. So with his brand new plan, he decided to end the free API and make it so that anyone can buy a verified social network badge for just eight euros a month. Hassle free plan…

However, we can understand that his plans were, I don’t know, let’s say interrupted when he had to take on other high-priority tasks, such as replacing the sign at his San Francisco headquarters, auctioning off the furniture and decorations for said office. (while they stopped paying rent for it), or confirm their commitment to free speech by banning journalists from Twitter. Sure enough, he was so busy with those that he couldn’t allocate resources to combat hateful messages on the social network.which, as we all know, is something much less important than the other things he does.

The European Union was not stupid when he warned Elon Musk about what to expect from Twitter on this new path before the acquisition was completed. And when he was able to verify that his forecasts were correct, he sent a warning message in early March. And what was Twitter’s reaction to the European Union’s stance? Opt out of the Disinformation Code of Practice the social network subscribed to in its June 2022 update, along with 33 other companies, as confirmed by European Commissioner Thierry Breton… yes, via message on his twitter account.

Twitter abandons voluntary EU code against disinformation.

But the responsibilities remain. You can run, but you can’t hide.

In addition to voluntary commitments, the fight against disinformation will be a legal obligation #DSA from August 25.

Our teams will be ready to push.

— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) May 26, 2023

The commissioner’s report is quite clear and emphatic:

«Twitter abandons EU Voluntary Code Against Disinformation.

But commitments remain. You can run, but you can’t hide.

In addition to voluntary commitments, combating disinformation will be a legal obligation under the #DSA from 25 August.

Our teams will be ready to enforce the law.»

It’s true, and Breton mentions it at the beginning of his tweet, right membership is voluntarybut right after this point, the commissioner reminds that the obligations set by the EU legal framework are mandatory for any company that wants to operate in the common space, and therefore regardless of whether it follows the code of good practice or not, the community administrations will react to any non-compliance.

The problem is, at least for now doesn’t give the impression that Twitter is going to take the necessary action compliance with these rules and their non-compliance could result in multimillion-dollar sanctions or, if necessary, a ban on the operation of the social network in the European Union. And unlike OpenAI’s case against the European regulatory framework, where Sam Altman is touring Europe seeking cooperation and consensus, it’s hard to imagine Musk taking a similar stance. The only hope in this regard is that the billionaire will back down and that the new CEO Linda Yaccarino can turn the situation around, normalize relations with the EU and guarantee Twitter’s stay in the European Union.