Elon Musk, the owner of social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, is considering removing the service from Europe in response to the Digital Services Act (DSA), a new internet platform regulation in the region. The DSA sets forth rules for preventing the spread of harmful content, banning or limiting certain user-targeting practices, and sharing some internal data with regulators and associated researchers, among other things. Musk has discussed removing the app’s availability in the region or blocking users in the European Union from accessing it, according to a person familiar with the company.
The DSA forces companies to rethink their policies on advertising, transparency, and moderation, and it holds online platforms legally accountable for the content posted to them. The DSA applies to many different online services, from marketplaces and app stores to online video sharing platforms and search engines. EU Member States will need to empower their Digital Services Coordinators by 17 February 2024, the general date of entry into application of the DSA, when the DSA will apply to platforms with less than 45 million active users. Affected service providers will have until 1 January 2024 to comply with its provisions
Twitter, or X, has faced increased scrutiny in Europe over its handling of harmful and toxic content. Musk has floated solving the problem by simply removing the app from the region. This would be similar to the way Meta is currently blocking people in Europe from using its new app Threads. Musk is increasingly frustrated with having to comply with the DSA, according to a person familiar with the company. Although Musk has yet to pull X out of any country, essentially no employees remain in Europe, one of the people said, as offices in the region have been closed.
The total number of monthly users of platform X, formerly known as Twitter, reached over 540 million worldwide, as of July 2023. In 2023, the most popular social media platform worldwide is Facebook, with approximately 2.9 billion monthly active users. This trend is also reflected in Europe, where Facebook has the largest reach among social networks with 467.02 million users.
This move could have significant implications for X’s user base in Europe, as well as for the company’s overall strategy. It remains to be seen whether Musk will follow through with this plan or if he will find another way to comply with the DSA while keeping X available in Europe.
