Less than a week after Twitter withdrew from the European Union’s code of conduct, trust and safety chief Owen is leaving the organization. This has brought a new level of explosiveness to the fake news debate.
The group has lost trust and a safe boss amid a debate that its approach to combating hate speech and disinformation from Twitter may be too lax. Ella Irwin told Reuters she had given up her job reviewing the content of the text messaging service. She did not provide any further information. Bloomberg also reported on her exit.
Owen took office about a year ago. Owner and Tesla boss Elon Musk was initially unavailable for comment.
Twitter exits the EUcode of Conduct return
Last week, Twitter withdrew from a voluntary EU code of conduct to combat misinformation, according to the European Commission. This requires companies to take action against the spread of fake news and report regularly on progress. It concerns, among other things, how many fake accounts are created and used, or how fact-checking affects the spread of disinformation.
In addition to Twitter, companies that have signed the code include Google, TikTok, Microsoft and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The European Commission had already reported in February that Twitter’s report had recently lagged other reports. According to Brussels authorities, the submissions contained little concrete information and no targeted data.
However, EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton warned after withdrawing from the code of conduct that the company remained bound by its obligations. “They can run, but they can’t hide.” In addition to voluntary pledges, the fight against disinformation will become mandatory from 25 August under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). “Our teams will be ready to execute.”
According to Faeser’s procedure Irresponsible
Among other things, the DSA aims to ensure that platforms remove illegal content on their sites more quickly. Violations can result in fines of up to 6% of annual sales. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser also called Twitter’s actions irresponsible. “Disinformation, lies and propaganda fuel hatred and are poison to democracy,” the SPD politician said last week. “Our rights apply to all platforms and we will enforce them.”
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who took over the SMS service in October 2022 for $44 billion (about 40 billion euros today), has made waves with other moves. The entrepreneur has fired top management and more than two-thirds of his 7,500 employees in a chaotic corporate restructuring. He also removed blue verification marks from the accounts of many users without paid subscriptions.
Amnesty for previously blocked users, such as former President Donald Trump, also caused a stir. Some strategic decisions clearly held back some users and advertisers. According to market watchers, Twitter’s revenue has declined recently. Musk intends to give up his top job soon, followed by the departure of advertising specialist Linda Yaccarino at the end of June.