Tag: European Union Commission

  • Twitter(X) is not happy with EU’s letter to Elon Musk

    Twitter(X) is not happy with EU’s letter to Elon Musk

    On October 10, Commissioner European Union Thierry Breton, the face of Digital Service Act (DSA), called out Elon Musk for his platform X allegedly allowing the dissemination of “illegal content and disinformation in the EU.” He gave Elon a period of 24 hours to respond.

    Elon was quick to respond and it was sharp and crisp. “Our policy is that everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports.”

    He goes on to add, “Please list the violations you allude to on X, so that that the public can see them.”

    Among hundreds of reactions underneath this exchange, users questioned the credibility and commitment of the EU to ensure freedom of expression.

    One user points out that the intention behind the letter is to engage in “populism and propaganda”.

    Another points out the need to not be dictated.

    One highlights the hypocrisy of the statement.

    Other people were reminded of the autocratic government of Russia and the Thought Police of George Orwell’s 1984.

    Another posed the question directly, You would like to censor Palestinian users like Meta (Facebook) does, wouldn’t you?

    As per the sweeping rule book of DSA, the EU Commission can fine social media platforms up to 6 percent of their global turnover or, in extreme cases, block a site entirely from the EU.

    According to an article by WIRED, legal experts say that there are no immediate consequences and there is no obligation on the platform to respond. They are characterizing it as a “misstep” by Breton while the political leadership sees it as a publicity stunt.

    On the other hand, CEO of , Linda Yaccarino has already confirmed that it has “identified and removed hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts”.

  • Pakistan & India to go to war over Basmati rice rights

    Pakistan is all geared up to thwart India’s attempt to obtain branding rights for Basmati rice, The News reported.

    Advisor to PM on Commerce Abdul Razza Dawood said on Friday that the government had prepared a detailed response in the matter and would submit it before the European Union (EU) Commission on December 10. 

    He hoped the Indian’s claim on Basmati rice would be rejected in totality. “The decision is expected within a one-year period,” he added.

    We are in possession of many documents which we will present as documentary proof to the EU Commission to prove Basmati rice is our brand, the advisor told The News. 

    Dawood said India’s stance on Basmati rice was impossible to prove since Pakistan possessed every proof to foil their attempt. “The first statement will be submitted on December 19, the application will be submitted in the second round.”

    “I met with the attorney general yesterday to ensure we hire a good law firm to present our Basmati case before the EU commission.”

    Basmati is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice that is traditionally grown in Pakistan and India. As of 2018-19, India accounted for 65% of the international trade in basmati rice, while Pakistan accounted for the remaining 35%.

    Many countries use domestically grown basmati rice crops; however, basmati is geographically exclusive to certain districts of Pakistan and India.