EU industry chief Thierry Breton traveled to Silicon Valley this week to prepare tech giants for the sweeping new rules governing social media, AI and data.
Breton was also there to inaugurate the commission’s first-ever office in Silicon Valley, as the bloc looks to plant its flag firmly on the home turf of big tech.
EU officials entered Twitter headquarters yesterday to conduct a field exercise with the company’s employees, analyzing the company’s handling of issues including Russian propaganda, fake news and criminal activity.
This “stress test” aimed to prepare Twitter for the Union’s new digital services law, which aims to be tough Online hate speech, illegal content and disinformation.
Following the meeting, Breton said he had a “constructive dialogue” with Twitter owner Elon Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino and that the tech giant takes DSA compliance “very seriously.”
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But he written down The test showed that the company still had work to do before the EU began enforcing the law at the end of August. The DSA makes combating disinformation a legal obligation.
The EU had previously warned Musk said Twitter could face a full ban in Europe or fines of up to 6% of its global revenue if it doesn’t comply with the law. Musk has stated that the platform will comply.
Google, Facebook and Twitter are among the 44 or so companies participating in the EU code of conduct, which the Union put in place to help social media platforms prepare for the new laws.
After August 25, all of these companies will face the same penalties or face the same penalty as Musk.
Also on the agenda: AI
Today, Breton meets Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, as well as OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Jensen Huang, who runs leading microchip designer Nvidia.
Breton meets with big tech bosses to unveil a new initiative called the AI Pact, a voluntary, non-binding commitment by tech firms to adhere to certain principles when developing AI technologies.
The pact comes as part of negotiations on the AI Act, which, once passed, will be the world’s first comprehensive law regulating the development and use of AI.
The DSA, along with these new regulations on AI, has put Brussels at the forefront of efforts to crack down on Big Tech.
While the union is taking a hard line and setting a precedent for the rest of the world, it is likely to have a hard time enforcing the new rules.
As the Washington Post puts it in a nutshell: “Brussels has a storied history of enforcement and it’s unclear if they have the resources or the speed to police some of the world’s most powerful corporations.”
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