The EU is checking on a ‘stress-test’ put in place to track the compliance of major tech companies with regulations set out in its new Digital Services Act.

EU official Thierry Breton is currently visiting Silicon Valley to check in with Twitter, among other big tech players, regarding their compliance with the new law, which sets out stricter regulations calling on media platforms to crack down on harmful content that’s published on their sites, such as hate speech and disinformation.

The Digital Services Act, which will come into effect on 25 August, has specific regulations regarding larger tech companies to protect users and dispel disinformation.

Large tech companies will have to offer users “a system for recommending content that is not based on profiling” which would include algorithmic recommendations based on key characteristics like age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and religion.

Further, they will be liable to analyse and mitigate the risks they create, regarding the spread of illegal content, materials which infringe upon fundamental rights, effect electoral processes, encourage gender-based violence, and affect user mental health.

Other stipulations that will affect all online platforms, large and small, will include protecting child data from being tracked, limits targeted advertising based on personal data, and bans practices intended to mislead audiences.

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In the stress-test, Twitter will have to prove they are protecting a safer online platform for children, and are capable of taking down hate speech and misinformation.

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter as CEO however, researchers saw a rise in misinformation and hate speech on the site.

Combatting disinformation is a legal requirement under the new law, and Musk did say to the France 2 TV channel that “Twitter will obey the law” if passed.

Breton is set to speak to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman regarding the new digital laws, as well as the EU AI Act which is set to go through its final legislative stages soon.

Violations of the law could incur fines of up to six percent of a company’s annual global revenue or even bans from operating in the EU.