Show Anti-Competition Behavior, German Officials Request Twitter Directly Monitored By The European Commission

JAKARTA - A senior German official on Thursday, December 22, said that Twitter must join other technology companies to be monitored directly by the European Commission. This is due to the erratic behavior of the company under new owner Elon Musk which poses a threat to free speech.

▁penegakan Giegold, German secretary of state in charge of competition policies at German economics ministries, pointed to the sudden suspension of journalists' accounts on Twitter and restrictions on access to multiple links.

In a letter to two European Commissioners, Giegold asked the EU to launch an investigation and said the Commission should act to prevent what it calls Twitter's "anti-competitive behavior".

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The European Commission itself has confirmed receiving the letter and said it will reply in due course and added that it is following developments on Twitter closely.

"Precises and general provisions that change almost every hour, uncertain justifications for extensive restrictions on links and blocking journalists threaten freedom of competition and pose risks to freedom of expression, information and the press," Giegold wrote on Twitter, while sharing his letter.

Musk on Tuesday said he was stepping down as chief executive of Twitter after the acquisition of the social media company in October led to chaos and controversy. The December changes to Twitter's privacy policy and suspension and recovery, journalists' accounts have come under fire from news organizations, advocacy groups and officials across Europe.

The German Chancellor's Government, Olaf Scholz, previously said it was monitoring developments in social media companies with growing concerns.

German regulators have encouraged government agencies to stop posting announcements exclusively to private platforms, even calling for the use of alternative social media networks such as Mastodon, which is still new and decentralized.

Die EU muss Twitter unter direkte Aufsicht der @EU_Commission stellen! Ich habe die zuständigen Kommissare @vestager und @ThierryBreton heute schriftlich dazu aufgefordert. Damit kann das wettbewerbswidrige Verhalten von @elonmusk auf @twitter unterbinden. Ein Thread.

— Sven Giegold (@sven_giegold) December 22, 2022

According to the Commission's new regulations on digital markets, they will take over surveillance of major platforms such as Facebook and Google.

However, Twitter is not yet the dominant digital platform, either because the company's sales are still too low," he said. "However, Twitter has a major influence in shaping public opinion around the world and also in Europe."

The European Commission also said it was working quickly to implement new regulations in the digital market. "Regarding Twitter and the latest developments: The power of a large platform over public discourse requires the necessary protection so that basic rights are effectively protected," Giegold said.

Agreeing with Giegold's statement, the Commission said that some companies could be classified as "gatekeepers" of information - and therefore under the Commission's new regulations - "based on a qualitative assessment, even if it does not meet quantitative thresholds."