The EU has issued a stern ultimatum to Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, and TikTok, demanding that they provide detailed explanations regarding their efforts to combat the spread of illegal content and disinformation on their platforms.
This call for transparency comes in the wake of attacks in Israel by Hamas, which has raised concerns about the role of social media in disseminating such content.
The European Commission, the executive body of the EU, sent a formal request for information to Meta on Thursday.
The commission is seeking a comprehensive account of the measures Meta has taken to curb the dissemination of illegal content and disinformation, especially in light of the recent events involving Hamas.
TikTok was also contacted by the commission, which requested information about the steps the platform has taken to prevent the spread of “terrorist and violent content and hate speech.” However, the commission did not explicitly reference the Israel-Hamas conflict in this context.
This move follows a letter from EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, which was sent to several social media companies, including Meta and TikTok.
In the letter, these companies were given a 24-hour deadline to outline their compliance with the content moderation rules in the Digital Services Act (DSA), a recent piece of EU legislation.
Both Meta and TikTok responded to the initial request, outlining some of the measures they have taken to address misinformation and content violations.
However, the European Commission has expressed the need for more comprehensive information.
They have set a deadline of October 25 for Meta and TikTok to respond to their requests and have warned of possible financial penalties if their responses are deemed unsatisfactory.
Furthermore, the commission has requested that both companies provide detailed plans on how they intend to protect the “integrity of elections” on their platforms by November 8.
These demands align with the obligations stipulated in the DSA, which aims to impose stricter regulations on large tech companies to safeguard online rights and maintain content quality.
It’s worth noting that while the European Commission has initiated an investigation into X, formerly known as Twitter, regarding DSA compliance, similar studies into Meta and TikTok have yet to be announced.
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