Meta Platforms Face EU Probe Over Handling of Political Disinformation

Meta’s Facebook and Instagram apps risk fines from the European Union (EU) amid concerns over the company’s potential failure to handle disinformation from foreign countries.

With the upcoming 2024 elections, EU regulators, in a press release on April 30, cited the platform’s lack of an effective political monitoring tool and its possible breach of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

The European Commission also noted the initiation of a formal investigation into Meta’s approach to the dissemination of misleading political content, expressing specific concern about its decision to phase out CrowdTangle (a tool used by journalists and the media to monitor social media trends and engagement metrics) without an adequate alternative.

The investigation comes amid rising calls for EU leaders to counter manipulation of information by foreign actors, including suspected Russian attempts to undermine the upcoming 2024 elections in the EU and elsewhere.

The commission officials, however, in the press release did not single out Russia; rather, a reference was made to manipulation by “third countries.”

“This Commission has created means to protect European citizens from targeted disinformation and manipulation by third countries,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “If we suspect a violation of the rules, we act. This is true at all times, but especially in times of democratic elections.”

The investigation will particularly assess how Meta, which has been designated as a very large online platform (VLOP) under the DSA, moderates deceptive advertising, its political content visibility approach, and the availability of mechanisms that allow users to flag illegal content.

“If we cannot be sure that we can trust content that we see online, there’s a risk that we end up not believing anything at all. Deceptive advertising is a risk to our online debate and ultimately to our rights as both consumers and citizens,” said Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age.

“We suspect that Meta’s moderation is insufficient, that it lacks transparency of advertisements and content moderation procedures.”

Regulators have refrained from setting a deadline for the legal probe. Instead, they’ve stated that the duration will depend on several factors, including the “complexity of the case, the extent to which the company concerned cooperates with the Commission.” However, if Meta is found to be in violation of the DSA, it may incur fines of up to 6 percent of its yearly revenue.