Twitter Reportedly Leaves Brussels—Europe’s Regulatory Hub—Amid Concerns About Musk’s Content Moderation Plans

Topline

Twitter announced that it has shut down its entire Brussels office. Financial Times, cutting ties to one of the world’s most important regulatory hubs as fears grow the firm will struggle to moderate content or even function after the brutal staffing cuts ordered by new owner Elon Musk.

Since taking control of Twitter, Elon Musk has reduced the number of employees.

AFP via Getty Images

The Key Facts

Twitter’s office in Brussels, Belgium, closed after its two remaining employees left last week, the Financial TimesAccording to five sources, the incident was reported.

Julia Mozer and Dario La Nasa, who led Twitter’s digital policy in Europe, reportedly survived Musk’s initial round of layoffs but left the company after he issued an ultimatum for employees to work long hours at high intensity.

However, it is unclear if the two men resigned or were fired. Financial Times said.

Though small—the location counted up to eight employees before Musk took over—the Brussels office played an important role in the firm’s engagement with European policymakers and its compliance with the bloc’s strict digital regulations.

European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová, who is in charge of the bloc’s disinformation code, told the Financial Times she is ”concerned” about Twitter “firing such a vast amount of staff” in Europe.

Twitter will still need to honor its commitments and abide by EU laws, Jourová said, particularly in light of “Russian disinformation warfare.”

The Crucial Quote

“If you want to effectively detect and take action against disinformation and propaganda, this requires resources,” Jourová told the Financial Times. “Twitter has been a very useful partner in the fight against disinformation and illegal hate speech and this must not change.”

Keep an eye out for these things

The closure of Twitter’s Brussels hub will potentially strain the firm’s relationship with the European Union, which has some of the strictest rules governing the digital world and is often at the very forefront of global regulation in the field. It will also exacerbate fears the platform, despite Musk’s professed commitment to stamping out disinformation, will be unable to effectively moderate content or tackle disinformation. The departure of Twitter’s two remaining Brussels employees comes a week after the EU’s landmark regulation governing digital services came into force—alongside a voluntary code targeting disinformation—which could have major implications for Twitter and similar services. Complying is important for businesses and European regulators have the power to fine companies up to 6 percent of their global revenue in exceptional cases.

News Peg

Musk quickly set about cutting Twitter’s headcount immediately after taking control of the company. The billionaire fired senior leadership and Twitter’s entire board and laid off around half of the workforce during the early stages of his leadership. Later, he fired employees who did not agree with him. While estimates vary on the remaining workforce, several reports show that critical teams responsible for monitoring systems are still …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer