EU TO INVESTIGATE META AGAIN OVER ITS ELECTION-TIME POLICIES, HOW THEY HELP SPREAD FAKE NEWS

The European Union (EU) is gearing up to launch a fresh investigation into Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, over how it handles election-related content.

A report in The Guardian says that while details of the investigation may be announced later this week, European officials have already expressed concerns about deceptive advertising and political content on Meta’s platform and how they spread fake news and disinformation

According to the Financial Times, the EU has also raised alarms about Russia's attempts to disrupt upcoming European elections and interference campaigns from other nations.

With parliamentary elections scheduled for June, the EU is vigilant about safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process. If Meta is found to have violated Europe's Digital Services Act, it could face substantial fines.

Of particular concern to EU officials is Meta's decision to discontinue CrowdTangle in August. This tool has been instrumental for researchers and fact-checkers, allowing them to analyse how content spreads across Facebook and Instagram.

The shutdown of CrowdTangle has prompted dozens of researchers and fact-checking groups to express alarm, stating that it poses a direct threat to global election integrity efforts.

In response to these concerns, Meta revealed that the company has established processes to identify and mitigate risks on its platforms. Meta also said that it looks forward to cooperating with the European Commission and providing further details of its work.

In addition to election-related issues, the EU is also investigating Meta's subscription-based plan for European users where it charges a monthly fee to not show advertisements across its platforms.

This investigation, which could span up to a year, aims to determine whether Meta has violated Europe's Digital Markets Act by failing to offer users a genuine alternative to opt out of data collection.

As Meta faces scrutiny from EU regulators on multiple fronts, the outcome of these investigations could have significant implications for the company's operations in Europe and its broader approach to content moderation and data privacy.

(With inputs from agencies)

2024-04-30T08:27:49Z dg43tfdfdgfd