EU Commission initiates proceedings against Facebook and Instagram
The EU Commission suspects Facebook and Instagram of misleading advertising and misses CrowdTangle. It has now initiated proceedings against Meta.
(Bild: Koshiro K/Shutterstock.com)
The European Commission has initiated proceedings against Meta for possible violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). Specifically, it concerns the Facebook and Instagram platforms and, in particular, the handling of misleading advertising and political content.
The EU Commission is also taking offense at the fact that Meta has shut down the real-time analysis tool CrowdTangle. This was popular with scientists and the media to gain an overview of what was happening on social networks – especially regarding topics such as attempts to influence elections. This is precisely what the Commission is criticizing: there is a lack of an effective election monitoring tool for Facebook and Instagram ahead of the upcoming European elections.
Fears of interference before the elections
Meta does not adequately combat misleading advertising and disinformation campaigns in the EU, the EU Commission suspects. The options for complaining about content on the platforms are also inadequate considering the requirements of the Digital Services Act. There are fears of political interference to influence voters with false information in the upcoming elections, particularly from Russia.
The EU Commission is basing its accusations on the risk assessment report that Meta dutifully submitted in September 2023, on inquiries with the US company and on other sources. The Commission will now use the proceedings to gather further evidence and can also order interviews, for example. It is also free to take measures against Meta. The company faces high fines if violations are found.
Special obligations for Meta
Facebook and Instagram were classified as "Very Large Online Platforms" (VLOPS) or gatekeepers in April 2023, as they each have more than 45 million active users per month in the EU. Since the end of August 2023, the two services have had to comply with the rules imposed on providers by the DSA. The law is intended to curb hate and hate speech online and enable users to report illegal content more easily.
The EU Commission has already initiated proceedings against TikTok and X/Twitter for possible violations of the DSA.
(mki)
