EU to investigate Meta’s failure to control misinformation amid elections

Meta and misinformation: The European Commission has initiated an investigation into Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, over alleged failures to combat disinformation and deceptive advertising in the lead-up to the European Parliament elections. This move follows concerns regarding various sources, including Russia, China, and Iran, potentially disseminating misleading information. Additionally, within the EU, certain political entities have been accused of using falsehoods to sway voters ahead of the June 6-9 elections.

Under the Digital Services Act, implemented last year, major tech companies are obligated to take stronger measures against illegal and harmful content on their platforms or face fines of up to 6 per cent of their global annual turnover. The focus of the EU investigation will include a Russia-based network known as Doppelganger, which Meta previously disclosed in 2022. Meta claims to have blocked tens of thousands of associated links.

EU digital chief Margrethe Vestager expressed concerns over Meta's moderation practices, citing suspicions of inadequate moderation, lack of transparency in advertisement and content moderation processes, and non-compliance with Digital Services Act obligations. Meta, with over 250 million monthly active users in the EU, defended its risk mitigation procedures, stating its willingness to cooperate with the European Commission and provide further details on its efforts.

The Commission's investigation specifically raises issues regarding Meta's handling of deceptive advertisements, disinformation campaigns, and coordinated inauthentic behaviour in the EU. It also highlighted concerns about the absence of an effective third-party real-time civic discourse and election monitoring tool ahead of the European Parliament elections. Furthermore, the Commission criticised Meta's discontinuation of its disinformation tracking tool, CrowdTangle, without a suitable replacement.

Meta has been given a deadline of five working days to inform the EU about any remedial actions taken to address the Commission's concerns.

(With Reuters inputs)