European Union Options Against Twitter Are Few
Nicknamed Space Karen & Elmo by his digital foes, Elon Musk has turned a doxing incident that endangered his son into an excuse to temporarily suspending reporters across the Twitterverse.
Elon musk has also banned numerous Fediverse sites (Mastodon, Pixelfed, WriteFreely, etcetera) upon posting domain links on Twitter.
This has sparked public outrage, with the European Union threatening sanctions against the blue bird site.
News about arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying. EUβs Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. This is reinforced under our #MediaFreedomAct. @elonmusk should be aware of that. There are red lines. And sanctions, soon.
— VΔra JourovΓ‘ (@VeraJourova) December 16, 2022
Jourova didnβt add any further details on the sanctions. Under the EUβs Digital Services Act, companies can be fined up to 6% of their global annual revenues for breaches.
The DSA, which entered into force on Nov. 16, requires large platforms to reduce harms online, implement protections for usersβ rights and issue transparency reports. (CNBC)
If the European Union enacted sanctions against Twitter, Elon Musk would retaliate by firing all of the European Union staff, & (since he can alter the rules at will) suspend all of the governmental accounts of the European Union on Twitter (including national governmental accounts of member states).
After all, if Elon Musk is willing to risk lawsuits by not paying venders & ignoring requests from landlords worldwide for rent money, then ignoring paying fines from a governmental power an ocean away should be considered a given (note: Elon Musk might brazenly challenge the Federal Trace Commission in the United States).
So, what exactly can the European Union do against a man who is willing to brazen the coming storm against him in 2023β½ Simple, attack Elon Muskβs biggest weakness, which can be summed up in one song.
Currently Elon Musk is [in a financial crunch]() & he is desperately trying to find ways to keep the cash flowing to his latest eye candy (also known as Twitter).
Instead of @EC_Sanctions@social.network.europa.eu issuing general sanctions (which would result in @ELA@social.network.europa.eu scrambling to address grievances from ex-Twitter employees from Europe), they should instead:
- Demand Apple & Google remove Twitter from the App Store & Google Play, respectively.
- Pressure Twitter advertisers with businesses in Europe to cease advertising or face regulatory scrutiny in the region
- Highlight problematic accounts (Naziβs, bigots, racists, etcetera) actively using Twitter to the media & encourage the pubic to adopt alternatives like Mastodon, Pixelfed & WriteFreely.
These three initiatives would result in Twitter being crippled, forcing Elon Musk to take the @EU_Commission@social.network.europa.eu seriously.
Would these moves by the European government workβ½ Only time would tell.
But even if it did not persuade Elon Musk to change his mind, it might force the banks who loaned Musk billions to call in their debts, resulting in new leadership.
As Lou Paskalis sums it up best:
How soon before @Twitter is placed into receivership?
— Lou Paskalis ?? (@LouPas) December 17, 2022
In a receivership, a court appoints an independent receiver who manages all aspects of a troubled company's business.
During receivership, the company's principals have no authority over the company. https://t.co/wXpFQsD5fD
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