The public policy executives who have helped Twitter navigate EU regulations are all gone.
Twitter has disbanded its entire Brussels office, according to a report in the Financial Times (FT). The closure has prompted “concerns” among EU officials, the report says. The issue is whether the social media platform will abide by Europe’s stringent new rules on policing online content.
Julia Mozer and Dario La Nasa, who were in charge of Twitter’s digital policy in Europe, left the company last week, according to the FT. The two executives were responsible for Twitter’s compliance with EU regulations, including the new Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA came into force last week and dictates how platforms like Twitter should keep online users safe.
The departures come after an onslaught of layoffs and resignations following the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk. The new owner immediately ordered mass layoffs, which saw roughly half of the total employees leave. The Brussels Twitter office had six staffers at one time. Mozer and La Nasa survived the first cuts in early November, but now that they have left, the office is empty.
How will Twitter comply?
In late October, Musk replied to European Commission concerns by promising to comply with all EU regulations. The question is how Twitter can comply without compliance officers.
“I am concerned about the news of firing such a vast amount of staff of Twitter in Europe,” said Věra Jourová, the EU’s vice president in charge of the disinformation code. “If you want to effectively detect and take action against disinformation and propaganda, this requires resources.”
The issues are not just about privacy, but security as well. “Especially in the context of Russian disinformation warfare, I expect Twitter to fully respect the EU law and honour its commitments”, continued. Twitter has been a very useful partner in the fight against disinformation and illegal hate speech and this must not change.”