Today the @EUCommission backs down and fails to curtail Twitter:
“…X also submitted rebuttal arguments, explaining why its online social networking service should not, in its view, qualify as an important gateway between businesses and consumers, even if X is deemed to meet the quantitative thresholds set out in the DMA.”
“…the Commission concluded that X does indeed not qualify as a gatekeeper in relation to its online social networking service…”
(1/2)
I mean it can be - folks can get real time alerts from a business this way - but there are other uses as well. I’d argue the meme sharing of that social network is much larger than the actual business use. In other words, it can be used for business, but that’s not the primary point of it.
@abff08f4813c
Ok. I would say the main question should be “are there sufficiently accessible alternatives to the usage of Twitter in the communication between companies and customers?”
I guess in practice, at least in Europe, there are often multiple ways to reach out to companies? (Twitter, contact form etc.) So in that sense it makes sense?
But the fact that Twitter is also used (much more) to share memes should not matter?
(Disclaimer: I haven’t looked into this case in too much detail).
On reflection, your reasoning makes more sense. But I checked and it seems like they haven’t published the non-confidential report yet on the DMA website at https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/commission-concludes-online-social-networking-service-x-should-not-be-designated-under-digital-2024-10-16_en so it’s hard tell what they were thinking. Probably will be clearer once the report is finally published.