According to data from the European Union released on Thursday, Twitter took longer to review hateful content and removed less of it in 2022 compared to the previous year.
The EU statistics were released as part of an annual review of how well online platforms adhered to the 27-nation bloc's disinformation code of conduct.
Most other Internet businesses that joined the voluntary code, in addition to Twitter, also performed poorly. The numbers, however, may portend difficulties for Twitter in adhering to the strict new online regulations from the EU after owner Elon Musk let go of many of the platform's 7,500 full-time employees and an incalculable number of contractors in charge of content moderation and other important duties.
The EU assessment, which was conducted over six weeks in the spring, concluded that, compared to 82 percent in 2021, Twitter only evaluated slightly more than half of the warnings it received regarding prohibited hate speech within 24 hours.
Comparatively, YouTube dropped to 83.3 percent, Instagram to 56.9 percent, and Facebook to 64 percent in terms of the quantity of flagged content that was examined within 24 hours. TikTok, the only business to increase, scored 92 percent.
From 49.8 percent the year before, to 45.4 percent, Twitter deleted hate speech after it was reported. TikTok's removal rate decreased by 25% to 60%, whereas Facebook and Instagram only experienced marginal drops. Only YouTube's takedown rate went up, climbing to 90%.
Vera Jourova, vice president of the European Commission, tweeted that it is concerning to observe a decline in social media platforms' review of notifications relating to unlawful hate speech. Online hate speech is a plague of the modern day, and platforms must uphold their promises.
A comment from Twitter was not forthcoming. Several employees on the company's European communications team received undeliverable email replies.
Musk's purchase of Twitter last month sparked widespread worries that propagandists of false information would be given free reign on the platform. The billionaire Tesla CEO has reinstated suspended accounts, including former President Donald Trump's, because he believes Twitter has become too restricted.
By the middle of next year, new EU regulations intended to safeguard internet users' online safety will start to apply to the largest online platforms, putting Twitter under more scrutiny in Europe. Huge fines of up to 6% of a company's annual global revenue could be imposed for violations.
After writing to Twitter earlier this week to express its worry about the impact that employee departures would have on Twitter's "capacity to maintain a secure environment for its users," France's internet regulator Arcom claimed it got a response from the firm."
Moreover, Arcom requested the business to prove that it can fulfil its "legal duties "that it is dedicated to putting into effect the new EU online standards as well as combatting hate speech on the internet. Without providing any other information, Arcom stated that it had received a response from Twitter and will "examine their answer."
Although there is little in the way of penalties, tech companies that signed up for the EU's disinformation code agree to commit to measures aimed at reducing disinformation and submit regular reports on whether they are keeping their promises.
