Twitter Cannot Hide from EU Rules after Exit from Code, Breton Says

FILED - 26 April 2022, Bavaria, Kempten: The logo of Twitter is seen on the display of a laptop. Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH/dpa
FILED - 26 April 2022, Bavaria, Kempten: The logo of Twitter is seen on the display of a laptop. Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH/dpa
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Twitter Cannot Hide from EU Rules after Exit from Code, Breton Says

FILED - 26 April 2022, Bavaria, Kempten: The logo of Twitter is seen on the display of a laptop. Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH/dpa
FILED - 26 April 2022, Bavaria, Kempten: The logo of Twitter is seen on the display of a laptop. Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH/dpa

Twitter cannot run away from its obligations even after quitting a voluntary EU code of practice to tackle disinformation, EU industry chief Thierry Breton warned the company late on Friday.

Companies which signed up to the code are required to provide regular progress reports with data on how much advertising revenue they had averted from disinformation actors.

They also have to provide information on the number or value of political advertisements accepted or rejected and instances of manipulative behaviors detected.

"Twitter leaves EU voluntary code of practice against disinformation. But obligations remain. You can run but you can't hide," Breton said in a tweet.

"Beyond voluntary commitments, fighting disinformation will be legal obligation under DSA as of August 25. Our teams will be ready for enforcement,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

Since Twitter was acquired by billionaire Elon Musk for $44 billion last October, the company has cut thousands of jobs and made numerous changes.

The Digital Services Act (DSA) obliges Twitter, Google, Meta Platforms Inc, Microsoft Corp, Alibaba's AliExpress and five other large online platforms to do more to tackle illegal online content.

Companies face fines of as much as 6% of their global turnover for violations.

Twitter, which no longer has a public relations department, responded to an emailed request for comment with a poop emoji.



Ubisoft Unveils ‘Creative Houses’ Model as First-Quarter Bookings Miss Expectations

The logo of Ubisoft is seen in Montreuil, near Paris, France, July 13, 2020. (Reuters)
The logo of Ubisoft is seen in Montreuil, near Paris, France, July 13, 2020. (Reuters)
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Ubisoft Unveils ‘Creative Houses’ Model as First-Quarter Bookings Miss Expectations

The logo of Ubisoft is seen in Montreuil, near Paris, France, July 13, 2020. (Reuters)
The logo of Ubisoft is seen in Montreuil, near Paris, France, July 13, 2020. (Reuters)

France's lead videogame maker Ubisoft announced on Tuesday a sweeping reorganization of its internal structure, shifting to autonomous "Creative Houses" tailored to specific gaming genres, as it reported first-quarter net bookings that fell short of expectations.

The company said in a call that the leadership of each Creative House would be selected based on specific gaming genres, and could include those from creative or technical backgrounds, as part of the new approach.

"These units will reflect our diverse types of gaming experiences and will allow for enhanced quality, focus, autonomy and accountability," CEO and co-founder Yves Guillemot said in a statement.

The first such unit, jointly owned with China's Tencent, will manage flagship franchises including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Co-CEOs Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot will lead brand development across multiple platforms.

Ubisoft plans to roll out the full organizational changes by the end of the year.

The company reported first-quarter net bookings of 281.6 million euros ($305.7 million), missing its target of around 310 million euros and marking a 2.9% decline from the same period of last year.

It attributed the shortfall to a weaker-than-expected performance from the Rainbow Six Siege game and the delay of a partnership now expected in the second quarter.

Despite the miss, Ubisoft reiterated its full-year guidance and forecast second-quarter net bookings of approximately 450 million euros.

Upcoming releases include Anno 117: Pax Romana, a Prince of Persia remake, and mobile titles Rainbow Six Mobile and The Division Resurgence.