BRUSSELS — The EU tasked tech giants such as
Facebook,
YouTube, and TikTok to do more against disinformation and provide much better
access to their algorithms as well as beef up fact-checking.
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The proposal is the EU’s effort to strengthen its existing
code of conduct against disinformation, which was launched in 2018 after
revelations that platforms had facilitated and amplified false information in
the ramp up to the Brexit vote and elections in the US in 2016.
It was signed by Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and
in June 2020 by TikTok, as well as players in the advertising sector.
In the wake of the COVID pandemic, the EU executive is now
asking the signatories to go even further in their commitments, which are
non-binding and voluntary, at least for now.
The pressure on the companies to deliver is great, given
that the EU is also hammering out its Digital Services Act (DSA) that will give
Europe power to slap penalties on Facebook and others when they fail to
demonstrate strong action against disinformation.
European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said the
stricter and more detailed code of conduct was necessary to better root out
“systemic risks” on platforms.
Jourova said that it was time for big tech companies “to
stop policing themselves alone and stop allowing to make money on
disinformation.”
“After the DSA will come into force, this code of practice
will become semi-obligatory,” she warned.
Among the many proposals, the EU is calling for messaging
platforms such as Facebook’s WhatsApp to also be included, given the vast
disinformation campaigns seen in in India and elsewhere.
The commission is also asking platforms for regular reports
with clear benchmarks to assess the measures put in place.
In addition, the EU executive is seeking to create a
designated task force composed of the code’s signatories, representatives of
the EU diplomatic service and media regulators from the member states.
‘Code works’
The proposals will be discussed with the signatories, who
will have to submit a first version of the revised code late this year so that
it can be operational by the beginning of 2022.
Marisa Jimenez Martin, Facebook’s director of EU Affairs,
said that “the reality is that we think the code works.”
“It just needs to be now strengthened and we will work with
the other stakeholders to make that happen in the next months,” she told
reporters.
The code is one of the many EU workstreams to limit the
reach of Big Tech.
The DSA, along with a companion law, the Digital Markets
Act, are currently under negotiation at the European Parliament and among the 27
member states in wrangling that could take at least another year.
Those proposals, when approved, will give the EU
unprecedented powers on defining how Big Tech can operate and do business in
Europe.
Brussels also plans to present by the end of the year a
draft regulation on political advertising and the targeting of users based on
their personal data.
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