European Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders will meet Twitter and Meta officials in Dublin on Thursday and Friday, where he will remind them of their obligations on data protection and content moderation, his entourage said on Wednesday.
The same sources said the visit had been planned for a long time before the massive layoff announcements within the two tech giants.
Mr Reinders intends to ask these platforms to ensure they have the human resources to comply with European data protection rules (GDPR) and the new Digital Services Act (DSA).
It sets obligations for platforms such as quick removal of illegal content, transparency of algorithms or fight against misinformation.
The European Commissioner will also stress to these officials the need to honor their commitments in the fight against hate speech.
French media police RCom on Monday recalled Twitter’s “obligations” in these areas following the hemorrhaging of departures that have hit the social network since Elon Musk took over. The latter, which advocates an absolutist view of free speech, has laid off nearly half of the group’s 7,500 employees.
In Ireland, the Commissioner will also meet with Justice Minister Helen McEntee.
In particular, he will address the issue of the country’s lack of cooperation with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).
Laura Covesi, head of the EPPO, has written to the Commission complaining that Ireland has refused all requests for judicial cooperation that she has offered her services to.
The EPPO, which brings together 22 of the 27 EU member states, excluding Ireland, comes into force in June 2021. It qualifies as fraud affecting the EU budget.
This refusal to cooperate prevents the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is currently investigating six cross-border cases involving Ireland, from accessing evidence in the country.
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