Rebekah Tromble | re************@fe******.social
@RebekahKTromble
I know everyone’s watching Twitter’s various features & systems fall apart. It’s clear that the wheels are falling off. But a quick reminder that you also need to keep an eye on what’s happening in the European regulatory space. In short, Twitter’s in BIG, BIG trouble. 1
https://twitter.com/rebekahktromble/status/1592290426148773889
Consider this piece on Twitter’s status under GDPR. It’s a bit wonky, but it’s REALLY IMPORTANT.
Layoffs and resignations mean that Twitter is now in clear violation of EU privacy law. 2/
Is Elon Musk’s Twitter about to fall out of the GDPR’s one-stop shop?
Next stop: Regulatory hell?
https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/14/is-elon-musks-twitter-about-to-fall-out-of-the-gdprs-one-stop-shop/
They don’t even have a Data Protection Officer anymore. Having a DPO is the most basic of basic requirements under GDPR. And Twitter’s literally got no one in the building. 3/
The key European regulator, in this case the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), has already put Twitter on notice, and fines could be huge. 4/
And my bets are on the Irish DPC coming out swinging hard at Twitter. 5/
The Irish authority has taken a LOT of flak for supposedly being too slow and soft on big tech. Here’s an easy win, where such a clear violation means they can act fast and authoritatively and win some goodwill from Europe’s other data protection/privacy regulators. 6/
But here’s the kicker: Twitter’s ham-fisted moves have actually opened the door for all of those *other* European data protection regulators to start coming after Twitter, too. 7/
Before, Twitter only had to answer to the Irish. And, thus, everyone else was mad that the Irish weren’t doing enough. 8/
Now, it looks like Twitter’s probably given up the right to streamline GDPR compliance through the Irish. And, in turn, all those other frustrated regulators—more than two dozen in total—can come calling. 9/
So while the core tech issues are a real problem, Musk and Twitter have a lot more to worry about than that. And once again, Europe, not the US, is where we’re likely to see meaningful accountability take shape. 10/