EU threatens to ban Musk's Twitter if European rules not complied with by August 25

The European Union has threatened that Twitter will not be welcomed in Europe if it fails to abide by the new regulations regarding disinformation, reported RT News. The statement has been made by the French Digital Transition and Telecommunications Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday. The warning by the EU comes as the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA) is due to fully take effect on August 25. 

While talking about the issue on France Radio, Barrot said: “Disinformation is one of the gravest threats weighing on our democracies.” Further, he added, "I hope that Twitter complies with the European rules by August 25. Otherwise, it will no longer be welcome in Europe. Twitter, if it repeatedly doesn’t follow our rules, will be banned from the EU.” 

EU warns Twitter to follow Digital Services Act

According to the latest mandate by DSA, search engines and large platforms, such as Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok, have to enact measures to mitigate “disinformation or election manipulation, cyber violence against women, or harms to minors online,” reported RT News. Notably, the European Commission could fine the offenders up to 6% of their annual worldwide turnover. Meanwhile, last week, Thierry Breton, EU Internal Markets Commissioner, announced that Twitter had pulled out of the bloc’s voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation. Further, he added, “But obligations remain. You can run but you can’t hide." He asserted that DSA’s terms would be “ready for enforcement” when the compliance deadline expires in August. 

It is to be noted that the Twitter tycoon Elon Musk,  who acquired Twitter last year, has committed to removing disinformation and hateful content from the microblogging app. But at the same time, he has been upholding freedom of speech and offering more transparency. Earlier in May, Musk tweeted, "This platform is hell bent on being the least untrue source of information." However, it is to be noted that Twitter has fulfilled Erdogan's run Turkish government's request to restrict access to some accounts in the weeks leading up to the presidential and general elections in the country.