We now live in a world where there are many laws governing humanity, but our societies are dominated by a very serious conceptual disorder. Noble human values know a significant decline, which greatly contributed to the formation of abnormal behavior among many people , and the law has a contribution to this confusion and degradation of values, however, no one denies the importance of the existence of law in human life. But, human nature sometimes deviates from the usual laws, as José Saramago's quote says :
"Consciences keep silence more often than they should, that's why laws were created" .
Without law, the world will be in chaos and ruin will inevitably prevail. That is why the law was established to maintain balance in the real world, protect people , preserve human rights, moral principles, values and relationships, especially with the interference of technology and internet in our lives.
In fact, with technological progress, and the creation of new ways of living, social media become an integral part of modern life, connecting people all over the world, sharing information and promoting businesses. Consequently, it was crucial to enact some laws or rules for using technology responsibley and to be aware of its potential downsides such as fake news, scams and privacy loss . The European Union has taken, then, the initiative to create what was called DMA and DSA laws to ensure fundamental rights of all users.
The basic idea behind the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is that what is illegal in the real world is not the same in the virtual world, and the DSA and Digital Markets Act aim to create a safer online world.
The code of conduct includes obligations to track political ads, stem the flow of misinformation and work with factual investigators. Under the new law, companies will have to tone down their platforms for harmful content such as disinformation and introduce protocols to block the spread of dangerous material. Companies must also increase transparency regarding interactions with users and streamline user agreements.
The European Union announced the Digital Services Law in 2022, which is a system that aims to get rid of toxic content on the Internet.
Digital platforms that provide services in Europe will have to immediately remove any offensive and illegal content that violates European laws and member states, such as online harassment, bullying, hate campaigns, misinformation and dissemination of misleading information.
The Digital Services Act puts into practice the principle that “what is illegal offline must also be illegal online.”
Few days ago, we heard that the social platform “Twitter” withdrew from a voluntary agreement by the European Union to eliminate misinformation and fake news on the Internet, because the new law provides for mitigating harmful content; such as misinformation and the spread of dangerous materials on the platforms. This withdrawal was not a surprise for the EU, for the unpredictable Elon Musk is always making provocative and unexpected decisions.
Obviously, Twitter crises seem endless and this time the conflict with the EU won't finish by the withdrawal , even if the Twitter platform didn't complied with the European Union Code as it was agreed, the commitments must be taken into consideration . Just for reference, Twitter and other social media platforms, including TikTok, Meta, and Google,over 30 platforms signed the voluntary code of conduct in 2018. They all pledged to improve cooperation with fact-checkers and ban sites that broadcast news and false advertisements.
Furthermore , Since buying Twitter , the controversial Billionaire Elon Musk has toned down the moderation of dubious content and appears to have amplified the voices of well-known disinformation advocates on the platform, and his withdrawal means his rejection the laws of the EU Code. Elon Musk's critics have already expressed that he has allowed the spread of disinformation to grow.
It is hard to know what crossed Elon Musk's mind when he decided to pull back from the agreement code after making commitments to adhere to the Digital Services Act. He eve continues to publish troll people with posts that could violate the EU's rules.
Despite this unexpected withdrawal, the famous American Billionaire will have to pay financial fines as a punishment for not respecting the law of the Code, otherwise he will face the possibility of the platform being banned.
To conclude, I think that laws are sacred, because they are the shield that protect humans against any potential harm physical or moral and maintain democracy as well. All the rules that were created and agreed on should be obeyed and respected whatever it takes. Although Elon Musk pulled back out of the EU Code and broke his vows , he must be sanctioned, because, generally, no one is above the law . This is what was expressed by Terry Breton, commissioner of the European Union, in his tweet.
Thanks for taking time to read.
Resources
https://www.politico.eu/article/twitter-to-pull-back-from-europes-disinformation-crusadwe/
