Vera Jourova is an EU vice president and has warned Elon Musk regarding sanctions.
Vera Jourova is a vice president of the European Union and has criticised Elon Musk for his “arbitrary” bans against journalists. She cited the union’s laws regarding free speech. Twitter shut down its Brussels office that was responsible for complying to EU laws after Musk laid off thousands.
Elon Musk was warned by a top official of the European Union that he may face sanctions. He also criticised his “arbitrary” suspension of Twitter accounts of several journalists.
Vera Jourova (the EU vice president for values, transparency and integrity) tweeted Friday morning: “News regarding the arbitrary suspensions of journalists on Twitter are worrying.”
She stated that Musk should be familiar with the union’s laws, which require respect for media freedom and fundamental right.
“There are redlines. Jourova also said that sanctions would be implemented soon.
Insider was provided with an explanation by an EU spokesperson about the EU’s Digital Services Act. This regulates disinformation and protects free speech.
It states that platforms should ensure that their terms and conditions are “clear, understandable, and transparent.”
Twitter’s rules were changed on Thursday and many journalists were not clear as to why they were suspended.
Musk claimed that Musk shared links with ElonJet accounts, which track billionaire Musk’s private jet flight records.
Some, however, claim they never shared these links. For example Aaron Rupar, an independent journalist. Insider’s Erin Snodgrass said that he believed it to be something Elon had posted.
Additionally, the act states that platforms that are threatening people’s safety and refusing to follow important obligations can “as a last resort ask a court to suspend their service temporarily.”
Twitter has been in conflict with the EU since Musk’s takeover. The EU represents 447 million people across 27 countries.
Last month saw mass layoffs that saw the company’s workforce shrink by almost 70%. This led to the closing of Twitter’s EU compliance office.
On November 24, an EU report condemned Twitter for not removing hate speech. Platformer reported that Twitter users may be forced to share data with them, which could also violate EU laws.
The German foreign ministry also condemned Musk for suspending journalists. A senior government official threatened to quit the platform.
Insider asked Twitter for comment but was not answered.
Business Insider has the original article.
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By: psyme@insider.com (Pete Syme)
Title: A top European official seemed to threaten Elon Musk with sanctions over his ‘arbitrary suspension’ of journalists amid the jet-tracking saga
Sourced From: www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-warned-sanctions-over-twitter-bans-top-eu-official-2022-12
Published Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2022 13:38:52 +0000
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