Twitter, Other Tech Companies Caution Europe Over Internet Rules

Several companies, including Twitter, are urging European Union regulators to “defend the Open Internet.” The move comes as the EU is working on a European Democracy Action Plan and the closely watched Digital Services Act.

The legal framework for digital services has been largely unchanged in the region for about 20 years.

Twitter, Mozilla, Automatic and Vimeo said in an open letter that these new rules “will either renew the promise of the Open Internet or compound a problematic status quo – by limiting our online environment to a few dominant gatekeepers, while failing to meaningfully address the challenges preventing the internet from realizing its potential.”

The companies expressed concern about how harmful and illegal content will be handled in the future.

The letter acknowledges that concerns are growing on the continent “regarding the impact of digital technology.” That’s even as “repressive regimes around the world use draconian legal frameworks to stifle online freedoms.”

The letter praises “the laws that laid a foundation for the spectacular growth of the internet – with its economic, social and cultural revelations.” The companies called for a “conversation around illegal and harmful content that firmly roots Open Internet principles at the heart of the EU’s digital future.”

Additionally, the companies called for “a tech-neutral and human rights-based approach to ensure legislation transcends individual companies and technological cycles.”

Beyond addressing the problem of illegal and harmful internet content, there are questions regarding antitrust rules as well as how to reform the tax system.

Last month, EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said regulators must have the power to do more than publicly criticize internet giants. “Strict rules must be enforceable,” he said. “For this, we need the appropriate arsenal of possible measures: Impose fines, exclude companies or parts of their services” from the EU market.