Twitter CEO Elon Musk continues to explore intensively how his social media platform will combat disinformation with its reduced staff. In early 2023, Musk met with Germany’s Digital Affairs Minister, Volker Wissing, in California to discuss whether Twitter would “voluntarily” comply with an agreement previously signed by Twitter with the European Commission to combat disinformation.
A spokesperson for the ministry described the meeting as “a very open and long conversation” that ended with Musk assuring Wissing that Twitter would not back down from the disinformation battle. Politico reported in December that Twitter’s agreement with the commission is part of preventing users from taking advantage of misinformation, labeling political ads and making data available to researchers.
Ars could not immediately reach Twitter for comment. A spokesperson for the ministry told Ars that “in his talks with Elon Musk, Federal Minister Wissing made it clear, among other things, that Germany expects existing voluntary commitments against disinformation and the rules of the Digital Services Act to be adhered to in the future.”
The DSA was implemented in November, designed to “ensure that the online environment remains a safe space” while “protecting freedom of expression.” The European law first targets the major social networks for compliance, noting that they have “greater responsibility” to protect users from risks such as “dangerous disinformation”. Twitter and other “very large online platforms” have until mid-June 2023 to fully comply with the law. Contrary to Twitter’s voluntary agreement with the committee, a spokesperson for the ministry told Ars that “Twitter, like any business, must comply with the rules of the Digital Services Act in the future. There are no exceptions to this.”
“With the Digital Services Act, we have established clear rules at EU level to act against illegal content, increasing disinformation and bots in social networks,” the spokesperson for the ministry told Ars. “Companies are addressed here so that users can safely use the networks.”
In the coming months, the German government will keep a “critical” eye on Twitter, according to a spokesman for the ministry.
The ministry did not share any comments Musk made during the meeting, but said Musk had scheduled the meeting at very short notice — only confirmed the night before it was scheduled.
Musk has been criticized in recent months for his personal use of Twitter — tweeting conspiracy theories from his account — and for official decisions he has made as Twitter CEO, such as eliminating Twitter’s COVID-19 misinformation policy. In recent days, trust and security issues have continued to plague the platform. This week, a Washington Post reporter confirmed that Twitter’s revised authentication process for Twitter Blue subscribers still doesn’t prevent impersonation, and Vice reported that Twitter amplified an “obviously fake tweet” about vaccines, resulting in a targeted harassment campaign against a physician.
In November, the European Commission’s Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton told Musk that Twitter had “huge work ahead” of effectively tackling disinformation, Politico reported.
However, as 2023 kicks off, one of the first changes Twitter made could lead to more misinformation spreading on the platform. Earlier this week, Twitter lifted a ban on political ads to stop the spread of misinformation and announced a plan to stop limiting the reach of “cause-based” tweets.
And Musk continues to receive criticism for his personal tweets. Musk recently responded to a tweet which Politifact has since debunked for relying on “false data to claim cardiac arrests are on the rise in athletes” who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. The Washington Post reported that the tweet was posted amid “COVID misinformation spikes” seen on Twitter after Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field mid-game Monday. Twitter’s official response to this spread of misinformation appears to be missing. There are currently no community comments on the tweet Musk responded to, which would normally help warn users of the apparent misinformation. Instead, Musk appears to personally validate the tweet, saying the information was “certainly worth further investigation.”
