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European CommissionMay 02
Meta Faces EU Disinformation Probe
Image copyright: Chesnot/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The European Commission (EC) is reportedly investigating whether Meta failed to comply with obligations set out in the Digital Services Act (DSA) to address disinformation campaigns and other coordinated inauthentic behavior on its social media platforms.
The commission's accusations include a lack of transparency over the demotion of political content, an inability to effectively monitor real-time political content, insufficient reporting mechanisms for illegal content, and a lack of oversight for adverts.
The Spin
Narrative A
The DSA was created to ensure that platforms like Facebook and Instagram do enough to moderate content and prevent misuse. Meta must be proactive in upholding their legal responsibilities to protect Europe's democratic institutions, or else the EC will continue to crackdown on Big Tech's failure to comply.
Narrative B
Meta has long been transparent about its policies, processes, and enforcement. The company is committed to complying with the rules of the DSA, and has updated its transparency measures and some user features in order to meet with EU regulatory obligations. Holding a shared vision with the EC, Meta will continue to minimize the potential for online harm while protecting Europe from those who wish to undermine its democratic functions.
Nerd narrative
There is an 80% chance that a politician will claim that they lost a major election due to a "deepfake" image, video, or audio recording in a G20 country before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.