Twitter’s plan to close its Brussels headquarters and lay off hundreds of people raises worries about the company’s ability to comply with new stringent European Union laws against illicit online material, said EU Justice Chief Didier Reynders on Thursday.
According to Reuters, Reynders met with Twitter employees at the social media platform’s European headquarters in Dublin and requested clarity from the firm.
“Twitter representatives reaffirmed the commitment of the company to ensure full compliance with EU rules. Commissioner Reynders took note of it and asked Twitter to translate this commitment into concrete measures,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Digital Services Act, which goes into effect in February 2024, requires online platforms to do more to police the internet for unlawful content or face fines of up to 6% of their annual global revenue.
Following billionaire Elon Musk’s controversial purchase of Twitter last month, Twitter has ousted key executives and imposed severe employment layoffs with little notice. Approximately half of the staff – approximately 3,700 individuals – has been laid off, while another 1,000 have quit.
Twitter’s final two Brussels-based workers have left the firm, according to a source familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to Reuters.
Initially, the team of six employees dealt with Commission officials on policy and regulatory matters.
Reynders also urged Twitter and other digital companies to do more to combat online hate speech after new data revealed that they deleted less content this year than in prior years.
Source: Economic Times
