The EU begins a formal investigation into Meta
Just over a month before the European elections, the European Union has taken a significant step in its fight against disinformation and possible foreign interference in the electoral process. The European Commission has launched a formal investigation into Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for alleged non-compliance with the digital services law imposed on large platforms to combat these interferences. According to Brussels, Mark Zuckerberg’s company is not taking sufficient measures and is violating European legislation.
Alleged non-compliance detected by Brussels
Among the breaches detected by Brussels are deficiencies in the moderation of advertising. According to the Internal Market Commissioner, Thierry Breton, third parties would be taking advantage of these deficiencies to interfere and commit scams. The European Commission considers that Meta is not doing enough to combat misleading advertisements, disinformation campaigns and coordinated maneuvers by third parties in the EU. These contents could represent a risk to civic discourse, electoral processes, fundamental rights and consumer protection.
Other concerns raised by Brussels
Brussels has also expressed concern about Meta’s lack of an election monitoring tool, especially with the European elections fast approaching. The removal of the CrowdTangle tool, which allowed real-time monitoring of the elections by researchers, journalists and civil society, without an adequate replacement, has also been highlighted as a point of concern.
Deadline to notify corrective measures
The European Commission has given Meta a period of five days to communicate the correction of the absence of the electoral supervision tool in real time. In addition, Meta’s approach to political content on its platforms is questioned, as well as the user notification mechanism for reporting illegal content, which according to Brussels does not meet the requirements of European regulations.
Formal procedure and possible sanctions
The European Commission has announced that it will begin a formal procedure that will include inspections, requests for information and interviews to determine the extent of non-compliance. The regulations provide for fines of up to 6% of the companies’ global turnover for violation. Although Meta is expected to remedy the problematic aspects, the outcome of the investigation is yet to be determined.
Statements by the President of the European Commission
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has stated that the Commission has established means to protect European citizens from targeted disinformation and manipulation by third countries. Von der Leyen emphasized that if a violation of the rules is suspected, the Commission acts, especially in times of democratic elections.