EU Warns Musk Twitter Faces Uphill Battle to Comply With New Digital Rules
European regulators warn Elon Musk that Twitter requires massive changes to meet the Digital Services Act, following massive layoffs and policy reversals.
European Union regulators issue a stern warning to Elon Musk, stating that Twitter faces huge work to comply with the bloc's new Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA, which takes effect this month, carries severe financial penalties of up to 6% of global annual turnover for companies that fail to meet its governance standards.
Musk's rapid overhaul of Twitter raises significant compliance concerns, as massive workforce reductions reportedly eliminate half of the staff, including key compliance, privacy, and trust and safety personnel. Simultaneously, policy reversals such as unbanning Donald Trump and planning a general amnesty for suspended accounts, combined with rising toxicity on the platform, drive away users and scare off advertisers.
Following a meeting with EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton, the EU signals that Musk must significantly increase his efforts to align Twitter with the new rules. Breton welcomes Musk's stated intentions to adapt "Twitter 2.0" to the DSA, but the regulatory message clearly indicates that mere words require substantial operational changes to satisfy European authorities.