Germany asks EU to clamp down on ‘capricious’ Twitter moves

Germany is appealing to the European Union to consider regulating “abrupt” and “arbitrary” decisions at Twitter since Elon Musk’s takeover.

Economy ministry state secretary Sven Giegold of the Green party cites his “great concern” about policy zigzagging at the troubled social media platform in a letter to the EU Commission.

In the letter, which Giegold also posts on Twitter, he says the Commission should carry out the necessary reviews as soon as possible to declare Twitter a “gatekeeper” under the bloc’s new Digital Markets Act.

The designation subjects companies with a dominant market position to particular scrutiny.

He also calls for the complementary Digital Services Act, which comes into force in February 2024, to prevent “capricious deplatforming” of users.

The DSA was designed to combat online hate speech, disinformation and piracy in Europe at a time when much of the internet content seen by EU citizens is controlled by US-based companies.