Thread by @corporateeurope

1/8

#ElonMusk’s takeover of #Twitter has made many reflect on:

➡️Concentration of social & political power with super-rich
➡️Shocking treatment of its workforce
➡️Threats to content moderation
➡️Undermining of democracy
➡️Pandering to far right forces

bit.ly/3Uv7ISQ

2/8

#Twitter’s track record was already bad to begin with:

🚩Fines for selling users’ data
🚩Breaching EU data laws
🚩Algorithm has amplified hate speech

And all to sustain its business model based on surveillance advertising

nytimes.com/2022/11/04/opi…

3/8

What about #Twitter’s EU lobby footprint? Since it joined EU lobby register in 2014, #LobbyFacts’ archive shows Twitter has boosted its yearly spending declaration at least six fold to €300,000-399,999

lobbyfacts.eu/datacard/twitt…

4/8

#Twitter has been a regular visitor to Commission’s Berlaymont building for 51 high level meetings since 2014 & likely many more at lower levels.

Topics include “disinformation” & the EU Digital Services Act.

Twitter often meets alongside Meta/ Facebook, Google etc

5/8

#LobbyFacts also reveals that #Twitter has had multiple EU lobby intermediaries:

🇪🇸 Law firm
🇪🇺 Lobby firms: Hanover Comms, Hill&Knowlton + NOVE
🇺🇸 Lobby firm Albright Stonebridge

Twitter is also member of DOT Europe which lobbies for #BigTech

lobbyfacts.eu/datacard/dot-e…

6/8

Like many other #BigTech platforms, #Twitter reports that it runs its EU lobbying out of Ireland ... thereby benefitting from preferential tax rates for Silicon Valley corporations

thecurrency.news/articles/29570…

7/8

Check out #Twitter’s other lobby declarations:

🇮🇪 lobbying.ie

🇫🇷 hatvp.fr/fiche-organisa…

🇩🇪 lobbyregister.bundestag.de

🇺🇸 opensecrets.org/federal-lobbyi…

8/8

#Tesla also active at EU level, reporting €300,000+ annual lobby spend, x15 increase since 2015. It also uses lobby intermediaries...

If you want EU lobbying low-down on any of #ElonMusk’s companies or another EU lobbyist, check out LobbyFacts: lobbyfacts.eu