The European Union has threatened to ban Twitter unless Elon Musk abides by its strict content moderation rules.
The warning could be the start of a regulatory battle across Europe over the future of social media platforms.
Thierry Breton, EU industry chief, made the threat in a video conference with Musk on Wednesday.
Breton told the world’s richest man he must abide by a list of rules set out in the EU’s new Digital Services Act.
“Twitter must implement a transparent user policy, vigorously enforce content moderation and protect free speech, resolutely combat disinformation, and limit targeted advertising,” he told the conference.
The landmark law aims to set a global standard for how tech giants must police internet content.
As a result, the parties agreed that the EU will conduct a “stress test” at Twitter’s headquarters early next year to assess whether the company is adhering to the rules.
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What did Musk do after taking over Twitter?
While Musk has yet to comment publicly on the report, he has previously said Twitter will abide by all relevant laws.
The 51-year-old, who completed the $44bn (£38bn) takeover of Twitter in October, has since made some controversial decisions about running the site.
The Tesla billionaire made headlines afterward lay off about half of the company’s 8,000 employeesincluding 15 percent in the trust and safety sector.
He also reinstated previously banned accounts on the platform, including One belongs to Donald Trump, After conducting a Twitter poll asking users if they wanted to see him back.
Kanye West, who was banned from the site for making anti-Semitic comments, also saw his account reactivated.
Last week, Musk announced that he ‘Amnesty’ to be granted to suspended Twitter accounts – prompting experts to predict an increase in harassment, hate speech and misinformation.