has dropped out of a voluntary agreement to combat online disinformation, a top EU official said Friday.

European Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted that Twitter had pulled out of the EU's disinformation 'code of practice' that other major social media platforms have pledged to support. 

But he added that Twitter's 'obligation' remained, referring to the EU's tough new digital rules taking effect in August.

The French politician sensationally added: 'You can run but you can't hide.'

San Francisco-based Twitter responded with an automated reply of a 'poop' emoji, as it does to most press inquiries, and did not comment.

European Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted that Twitter had pulled out of the EU's disinformation 'code of practice' that other major social media platforms have pledged to support

But he added that Twitter's 'obligation' remained, referring to the EU's tough new digital rules taking effect in August

The decision to abandon the commitment to fighting false information appears to be the latest move by billionaire owner Elon Musk to loosen the reins on the social media company after he bought it last year. 

He has rolled back previous anti-misinformation rules, and has thrown its verification system and content-moderation policies into chaos as he pursues his goal of turning Twitter into a digital town square.

Launched in 2018, Google, TikTok, penipu Microsoft and Facebook and Instagram parent Meta are among nearly three dozen who have signed up to the EU code, which requires companies to measure their work on combating disinformation and issue regular reports on their progress.

It also covers smaller platforms, as well as advertisers and fact-checkers and non-governmental organisations.

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

The code was written by the industry players themselves and contains over three dozen pledges such as better cooperation with fact-checkers and not promoting actors distributing disinformation. 

There were already signs Twitter wasn't prepared to live up to its commitments. 

The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive arm, blasted Twitter earlier this year for failing to provide a full first report under the code, saying it provided little specific information and no targeted data.

The French politician (pictured)  sensationally tweeted: 'You can run but you can't hide.'

The decision to abandon the commitment to fighting false information appears to be the latest move by billionaire owner Elon Musk to loosen the reins on the social media company after he bought it last year 

Breton said that under the new digital rules that incorporate the code of practice, fighting disinformation will become a 'legal obligation.'