On Thursday, the EU commissioner tasked with overseeing Europe’s revolutionary online content regulations will travel to San Francisco to assess major tech platforms’ readiness.
This two-day trip by Thierry Breton comes just weeks ahead of the full implementation of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) for the largest platforms globally, including Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram, along with TikTok and Twitter.
Breton is scheduled to meet with Mark Zuckerberg of Meta and Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, who has made significant changes to the platform’s operational policies since his acquisition.
Musk’s recent alterations to Twitter’s content guidelines, particularly concerning offensive language and misinformation, appear to conflict with the stipulations of the EU’s new legislation, thereby drawing particular scrutiny.
Additionally, Breton plans discussions with Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, and the head of AI chip manufacturer Nvidia during his California visit.
As EU legislators finalize the AI Act, another piece of proposed legislation is in the works that could significantly impact major tech companies in the U.S.
“I am the enforcer. I represent the law, which is the will of the state and the people,” Breton stated in an interview with Politico prior to his trip.
In an attempt to demonstrate compliance, Musk has agreed for Twitter to undergo a DSA “stress test,” the findings of which will remain confidential.
Last week in Paris, Musk expressed a commitment to meeting the DSA requirements.
However, industry experts question whether Twitter can fulfill these commitments given its substantial staff reductions and weakened content moderation team.
The DSA aims to be one of the most comprehensive frameworks governing online content since social media emerged, imposing strict obligations on major platforms concerning free speech management.
Similar to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, the DSA could serve as a global model as governments worldwide seek ways to regulate social media’s challenges.
To comply with the new regulations, platforms like Twitter, Meta, and TikTok must now heavily invest in compliance teams at a time when many tech firms are downsizing, including their content moderation departments.
The DSA designates 19 platforms as “Very Large Online Platforms,” which will have specific obligations starting from August 25, when the regulations take effect fully.
“The first enforcement action will be critical. Who will be made an example of?” questioned Yoel Roth, former head of Trust and Safety at Twitter and current Technology Policy Fellow at UC Berkeley.
Roth suggested that Twitter might be an obvious target but questioned the specifics of such enforcement actions.
According to Roth, the DSA’s demands for transparency may pose the greatest hurdle for large platforms, as they will need to grant regulators and researchers unprecedented access to their algorithms and content governance processes.
This transparency requirement could prove to be particularly challenging for Meta, which has historically limited data access for external parties following the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Moreover, in their pursuit of revenue, both Twitter and Reddit have recently imposed high fees for data access via APIs, which were previously available for free.
The DSA encompasses numerous other provisions, including mandates for platforms to appoint representatives within the EU accountable for content-related issues.
Users will also gain enhanced rights to appeal against platform-imposed takedown orders.
Severe breaches of DSA regulations could result in fines up to six percent of a company’s annual revenue, and continued non-compliance could lead to outright bans from the EU.
