- Last week, Twitter voluntarily participated in a mock test that involved stress testing its workforce over the ability to counter criminal activity, fake news, and propaganda.
- The stress test was conducted by European Union officials under observation by European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton to assess the company’s response to the upcoming enforcement of the Digital Service Act.
- Breton also met with OpenAI’s Sam Altman, NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang, Qualcomm’s Cristiano Amon, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, who agreed to a stress test for Meta properties in July.
The European Commissioner for Internal Market is in California to test the regulatory readiness of Twitter, Meta, and a few other companies. Last week, Commissioner Thierry Breton visited Twitter headquarters to ‘stress-test’ the company’s operations concerning the new upcoming regulation, the Digital Services Act (DSA), being enforced in the 27-member nation bloc.
“Technology has been ‘stress testing’ our society,†Breton said last week. “It is now time to turn the tables.â€
The verdict? There is still scope for improvement, at least at Twitter.
However, Breton noted a “strong commitment of Twitter to comply†with the latest regulation after analyzing how the company responded to a mock exercise conducted by EU officials.
Breton is the same official who responded amusingly to Tesla CEO and former Twitter head Elon Musk’s “the bird is freed†tweet post the platform’s acquisition by the billionaire technocrat.
👋 @elonmuskOpens a new window
In Europe, the bird will fly by our 🇪🇺 rules.#DSAOpens a new window
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) October 28, 2022Opens a new window
Reportedly, Breton’s meeting with Musk and current Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino went “very good.â€
Twitter voluntarily participated in the mock test that involved stress testing its workforce over the ability to counter criminal activity, fake news, and pro-Russian propaganda. The stress test results aren’t published though Twitter can choose to publish them.
EU had previously warned Twitter and Musk that a ban in Europe or regulatory penalties to the tune of 6% of its global revenue would follow if the company fails to oblige by the new laws, slated to come into effect on 25 August 2023.
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Subsequently, Meta has also agreed to a stress test of its platform to be conducted in July. Earlier in June, Breton had tweeted that Mark Zuckerberg “must now explain & take immediate action†after the Wall Street Journal published an exposé on Instagram’s recommendation algorithms enabling a “vast†network of pedophiles who seek underage sexual content.
“I will discuss with him at Meta’s HQ in Menlo Park on 23 June. After 25th August, under #DSA, Meta has to demonstrate measures to us or face heavy sanctions,†Breton’s tweet continued.
Breton’s latest tweet suggests the meeting has gone well. “Productive discussion with @Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Menlo Park 🇺🇸 on EU digital rules: DSA, DMA & AI Act. Preparedness on its way with 1000 Meta employees working on #DSA. We agreed to do a ‘stress test’ in July. EU’s motto: ‘Move fast to fix things.’â€
Besides Musk, Yaccarino, and Zuckerberg, the EU policy head also met with other heads of tech companies, including NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, Qualcomm CEO and president Cristiano Amon, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Meetings w/
🦠@elonmuskOpens a new window & Twitter CEO @lindayaccOpens a new window
🤼â€â™‚ï¸ Meta CEO Mark #ZuckerbergOpens a new window
🤖 OpenAI CEO @samaOpens a new window
💿 Qualcomm CEO @cristianoamonOpens a new window & @nvidiaOpens a new window CEO Jensen Huang
âœ‚ï¸ Inauguration of EU Office 🇪🇺🇺🇸
24 hours in San Francisco with @ThierryBretonOpens a new window & team have been quite a (tram) ride! pic.twitter.com/3sz47TQBGBOpens a new window
— Terence Zakka (@Mr_Zakka) June 25, 2023Opens a new window
Altman’s OpenAI and several other U.S.-based tech companies involved in artificial intelligence would come under the purview of the EU’s upcoming Artificial Intelligence Act.
Meanwhile, DSA will be applicable to TikTok, YouTube, and other social media platforms besides Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
“Compliance with European rules is not a punishment. It’s an opportunity to tap into our European Single Market,†Breton added. “And this is my message to the companies here: you are welcome in Europe, but according to our rules, at our conditions.â€
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