European Union warns Elon Musk that Twitter must conform to local regulations in order to operate in EU

In an interview with The Financial Times this week and in Tweets, European Union internal market commissioner Thierry Breton warned new Twitter owner Elon Musk that if the social media platform is to continue to operate within the EU, it is still subject to European Union regulations, including the new Digital Services Act.

“Be it cars or social media, any company operating in Europe needs to comply with our rules – regardless of their shareholding,” Breton warned in a tweet. The Digital Services Act places strict requirements on social media platforms to regulate and curb the flow of misinformation.

The act was passed in order to “provide better protection for internet users and their fundamental rights, as well as define a single set of rules in the internal market, helping smaller platforms to scale up.” The DSA places a fine of 6 percent of global turnover for a violation of its rules.

Musk has pledged to make changes to Twitter in order to preserve free speech on the platform, leading some critics to expect an uptick in online bullying, harassment, and misinformation. “Regardless of ownership, all social media platforms must be responsible,” said a spokesman for Boris Johnson.

The European Commission also warned Musk that he must protect users by adhering to the ban of “ads targeting minors as well as specific ethnicities, political affiliations, religions and sexual orientations,” as well as publicly disclosing how certain ads were targeted to them and offering non-profiling alternatives.