EU opens probe into Facebook and Instagram amid claims they are not doing ... trends now
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The European Union has launched an investigation into Facebook and Instagram amid claims they are not doing enough to tackle Russian disinformation which could potentially undermine democracy.
Brussels is especially concerned that Meta, the company which runs the social media platforms, does not have an 'effective' tool in place to monitor elections ahead of EU-wide polls June 6 to 9.
There have been warnings about a surge of Russian interference ahead of the crunch vote, with reports that pro-Kremlin networks are thriving on the West's most popular social media sites.
'We are overwhelmed by Russian propaganda, on a scale which would have been hard to imagine just a few years ago,' France's European affairs minister Jean-Noël Barrot told POLITICO.
The probe announced today is under the EU's new Digital Services Act, a landmark law that cracks down on illegal content online and forces the world's biggest tech companies to do more to protect users.
'If we suspect a violation of the rules, we act,' Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said
Brussels is especially concerned that Meta, the company which runs the social media platforms, does not have an 'effective' tool in place to monitor elections
'This Commission has created means to protect European citizens from targeted disinformation and manipulation by third countries. If we suspect a violation of the rules, we act,' Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
The European Commission said it suspected Meta's moderation of adverts was 'insufficient' and that an increase in paid spots in those conditions could harm 'electoral
