The European Union delivered a direct message to the owners of Facebook in Silicon Valley on Tuesday due to concerns about President Vladimir Putin’s attempts to influence the European Parliament with pro-Russian lawmakers.
Meta has a deadline of five days to outline its plan to tackle fake news, fake websites, and Kremlin-funded advertisements, or face serious consequences.
The EU is worried about Facebook’s handling of fake news, especially 40 days after the European Parliament elections and during a year when many people around the world are voting.
Thierry Breton, the Internal Market Commissioner, emphasized that electoral integrity is a top priority and warned of swift action if Facebook does not address the issues within a week.
He stated, “We expect Meta to inform us within five working days of the measures they are taking to mitigate these risks, or we will take all necessary steps to safeguard our democracy.”
The commission has initiated formal proceedings against Meta ahead of the elections taking place across Europe from June 6 to 9.
There are concerns that Russia might exploit Facebook, with its over 250 million monthly active users, to influence the election outcome in its favor.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo suggested that Russia’s aim to support pro-Russian candidates in the European Parliament was evident through alleged payments to parliamentarians.
While specific examples were not provided, concerns include foreign-funded advertisements on Facebook.
An official stated, “They are mistaken if they think they are not profiting from this.”
Additionally, there is insufficient transparency in the tools for identifying illegal or questionable content.
The EU has highlighted delays in removing links to fake news platforms, known as “doppelganger sites”.
Last week, a Czech news agency’s website was hacked to display fake news, including a false claim about an assassination attempt on the Slovak president.
French Europe Minister Jean-Noël Barrault raised concerns about Russian propaganda targeting France to disrupt public debate and interfere in the European election campaign.
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One more issue with Facebook is Meta’s decision to restrict discussions on sensitive topics like the Middle East to prevent user-generated content.
This practice known as “shadowbanning” has raised transparency concerns, and the EU is urging Facebook to clarify its decision-making process.
The official added, “Users must be informed when this occurs and have the opportunity to challenge it, or it could lead to controversy.”
There are also worries that Facebook might discontinue CrowdTangle, a service that assists in monitoring disinformation for fact checkers, journalists, and researchers.
The case against Facebook on Tuesday marks the sixth by the European Commission since the Digital Services Act (DSA) came into effect.
However, many question whether these actions are sufficient to combat misinformation. NATO officials have compared disinformation to a weapon as potent as physical warfare during a panel in Brussels.
Authorities argue that Facebook is not idle in addressing these issues, but the existing measures are inadequate, opaque, and not effective enough.
Under the new DSA laws implemented in August, the EU has the authority to levy fines up to 6% of social media companies’ revenue or bar them from operating in the union.
Facebook responded, stating, “We have robust processes for identifying and mitigating risks on our platform. We are collaborating with the European Commission and will share further details of our efforts with them. We look forward to the opportunity.”
Source: www.theguardian.com
