Twitter will have to comply with new European Union rules tackling misinformation and hate speech on social media.

EU Commissioner, Thierry Breton, said on Friday after Elon Musk’s takeover of the U.S. messaging service.

“In Europe, the bird will fly by our EU rules,” Mr Breton wrote on Twitter referring to the social media platform’s logo.

He was replying to a tweet by Elon Musk reading “the bird is free” with which he announced his takeover hours earlier.

Mr Musk has justified his purchase by stating the need to protect and strengthen freedom of speech, with critics being concerned that the change in ownership would result in less moderated content and thus encourage hate speech.

Mr Breton added “#DSA” to his message referring to the bloc’s Digital Services Act, a recent landmark regulation which spells out the responsibilities for technology and internet companies.

The law means companies will have to moderate their platforms for harmful content like disinformation and introduce protocols to block the spread of dangerous material during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Companies must also increase transparency regarding interactions with users and simplify user agreements.

Mr Breton also reminded Musk of comments made by him in May that he intended to comply with the new EU content moderation rules if he were to acquire Twitter. 

(dpa/NAN)