About: Twitter
EU Commission hits out at Facebook’s disinformation report
European Commission Security Chief Julian King criticised the "patchy, opaque and self-selecting" reporting provided by Facebook and other tech giants following their bids to comply with the EU's code of practice against disinformation on Tuesday (29 January).
‘Mass hack attack’ against politicians raises eyebrows in Berlin
Hackers posted personal data, including credit card details and mobile phone numbers, of hundreds of German politicians, national media reported on Friday (4 January).
Twitter tumbles on concerns about hacking activity
Twitter shares fell almost 7 percent on Monday after the company said it was investigating unusual traffic that might be from state-sponsored hackers and, in what appeared to be an unrelated issue, a security firm said hackers used the platform to try to steal user data.
MEPs back fair-play rules for platforms and operating systems
MEPs backed rules to force online platforms to be more transparent and fair to business clients on Thursday (6 December), with some members voicing frustration at the fact that operating systems are to be included in the scope of the regulation.
Britain to mint coin in honour of Brexit, EU has no such plans
Britain will issue a new 50-pence coin to mark its departure from the European Union next year, the government said on Monday (29 October) in an announcement that was quickly mocked on social media.
Twitter publishes tweet trove from Russia, Iran trolling campaigns
Twitter published a trove of some 10 million tweets that it said are potentially the product of state-backed operations by Russia and Iran, shedding new light on the scale and nature of misinformation campaigns mounted by the two nations.
EU code of practice on fake news: Tech giants sign the dotted line
Tech giants including Facebook, Google, Twitter and Mozilla have submitted plans to the European Commission outlining how they will abide by a code of practice against fake news, amid opposition on the proposals from a multistakeholder forum.
Disinformation crackdown: Tech giants commit to EU code of practice
A group of tech giants including Google, Facebook and Mozilla have agreed to abide by landmark new standards set out by the European Commission in the battle against the dissemination of fake news across the EU.
Macron digital tax plan faces EU rebuff
French President Emmanuel Macron's ambitious plans for an EU digital tax targeting US tech giants such as Google or Facebook faced strong headwinds on Saturday (28 April), provoking anger from Paris.
EU plans to pull ‘free’ digital services under consumer protection rules
EXCLUSIVE / Digital services that collect users’ data, like Facebook and Gmail, will be pulled under EU consumer protection rules as part of a European Commission overhaul due next month. Possible sanctions will be raised to up to 4% of a company's turnover.
Commission expert group pressures tech platforms to stop ‘fake news’ advertising
An expert group advising the European Commission on so-called fake news wants tech giants to be more transparent about their advertising revenue. Their new report pressures social media firms like Facebook and Twitter to deal with the spread of false information on their platforms.
Commission faces backlash for plan to fast-track tech platforms’ removal of illegal posts
Internet platforms are coming under more and more pressure in Europe, and now face a potential legal threat if they do not remove posts with terrorist content within one hour.
France eyes EU law to crack down on terrorists’ use of social media
France’s top diplomat in charge of technology policy said there could be a need for EU legislation to make sure social media firms remove content promoting terrorism.
Consumer watchdogs want fines against Twitter and Facebook for breaking EU rules
Consumer watchdogs have called for the European Commission to introduce a minimum fine against companies that break EU rules, after Facebook and Twitter failed to reform their user terms.
Commission backs away from regulating online platforms over hate speech
The European Commission is backing away from a plan to propose binding EU legislation that would force online platforms to remove posts containing hate speech.
Gabriel leading Commission effort against fake news ‘disease’
Fake news is a disease that European society needs to be “vaccinated” against, the EU's Digital Commissioner Mariya Gabriel said as she opened a call for public comments on possible EU responses to the spread of false information on internet platforms.
Twitter bans ads from two Russian media, cites election meddling
Twitter Inc yesterday (26 October) accused Russian media outlets Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik of interfering in the 2016 US election and banned them from buying ads on its network, after criticism the social network had not done enough to deter international meddling.
Google, Facebook and Twitter face fines as EU grows ‘impatient’ with lax consumer rules
Google, Facebook and Twitter could face fines if they do not change their user conditions to meet the European Commission's demands.
Social media giants step up fight against extremist content
Social media giants Facebook, Google's YouTube, Twitter and Microsoft said on Monday (26 June) they were forming a global working group to combine their efforts to remove terrorist content from their platforms.
After London attack, Facebook says aims to be ‘hostile environment’ for terrorists
Facebook said it wanted to make its social media platform a "hostile environment" for terrorists in a statement issued after attackers killed seven people in London and prompted Prime Minister Theresa May to demand action from internet firms.
Twitter and Brexit: Old friends reunited
Brexit has once again taken Twitter by storm as British Prime Minister Theresa May signed a letter last night (28 March) launching the process for the United Kingdom's exit from the EU.
EU Jewish leaders warned against embrace by alt-right nationalists
EU Jewish leaders have been warned against being co-opted by alt-right nationalist groups emboldened by Donald Trump’s presidency and trying to ‘whitewash’ themselves of previous anti-Semitism.
Using online technology to beat hate
Hate is brewing in society, and its expression through online speech is real and corrosive. Internet companies and NGOs are now working with the EU to fight back, writes Robin Sclafani.