Germany asked the European Union to take “abrupt” and “arbitrary” actions made at Twitter since Elon Musk’s takeover into consideration.
Sven Giegold, the state secretary for the green party’s economy ministry, wrote to the EU Commission expressing his “grave concern” about the platform’s troublesome social media platform’s inconsistent policy.
Giegold also uploaded the letter to the commission on Twitter, urging it to conduct the required investigations as quickly as possible in order to designate Twitter as a “gatekeeper” under the EU’s new Digital Markets Act.
The designation subjects companies with a dominant market position to particular scrutiny.
In order to stop “capricious deplatforming” of users, he also urged for the complementary Digital Services Act, which goes into effect in February 2024.
The DSA was created to tackle hate speech, misinformation, and online piracy in Europe at a time when many of the websites that EU residents visit are under the authority of US-based corporations.
In his letter to Margrethe Vestager, executive vice president of the Commission, and Thierry Breton, commissioner of the internal market, Giegold expressed his worries on “Twitter’s platform rules and their rapid changes and arbitrary application.”
“The EU should use all the possibilities at its disposal to protect competition and freedom of speech on digital platforms,” he said.
With mass layoffs, the reinstatement of blocked accounts, and the suspension of journalists who were critical of the South African-born entrepreneur during the eight weeks that Musk has officially owned Twitter, the social media platform has been riven by upheaval.
Racist or offensive tweets also increased after Musk’s takeover, which attracted regulatory attention and drove away major advertisers, Twitter’s primary source of income.
Giegold said banning journalists’ accounts and restricting links to rivals “threaten not only free competition but also pose a risk for democracy as well as freedom of speech, information and the press”.
