The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
Elon Musk’s Twitter received more criticism from the European Union Thursday after the social media firm turned in what officials see as an inadequate report.
Signatories of the newly revamped Code of Practice on Disinformation had their first reports published today. Among those reporting were tech giants Meta, Google, Twitch and Twitter. The reports detail how large and small tech companies are adhering to the code’s guidelines and fighting disinformation online.
The code outlines 44 commitments that cover topics such as fact-checking, scrutiny of political advertising and state media.
“All signatories have submitted their reports on time, using an agreed harmonized reporting template aiming to address all commitments and measures they signed on to,” the Code Commission said in a statement.
The EU’s vice president for values and transparency, Vera Jourova, said of Twitter, “The publication of the first reports of the revamped anti-disinformation code is an important milestone in the fight against disinformation and I am pleased to see how most signatories, big and small, are engaging. I am disappointed to see that Twitter’s report lags behind others and I expect a more serious commitment to their obligations stemming from the code. Russia is engaged also in a full-blown disinformation war, and the platforms need to live up to their responsibilities.”
This week, EU officials blasted Mr. Musk’s decision to restrict access to Twitter’s API, which lets companies create free and helpful applications that make using the platform easier. EU officials have said the decision to paywall Twitter’s API is dangerous, especially while Russia spreads propaganda concerning its war with Ukraine.
Mr. Musk walked back his original plan to block all API behind a paywall, saying it would remain available to free apps that create “good content.” Data researchers would still be required to pay for Twitter API.
In its report, Twitter says it’s using Community Notes, a system where users can flag tweets that contain disinformation. Mr. Musk has said this system should be enough to combat Russian disinformation about the war.
“By making this feature an integral and highly visible part of the Twitter product, and by ensuring that the user interface is simple and intuitive, we are investing in a tool that can be truly global in its application,” Twitter wrote in its report.
The commission expects to get a fuller picture from all signatories in six months when the next batch of reports are due.
