Meta defends its risk mitigation process after the EU said the company’s content moderation efforts were “inadequate.”
The European Commission has launched a disinformation investigation into social media giant Meta.
The EU announced on Tuesday the investigation into the operator of Facebook and Instagram, saying the US company was suspected of violating the bloc’s online content rules. Brussels has stepped up its efforts to combat disinformation ahead of the EU elections in June.
The commission said Meta’s content moderation efforts were “inadequate” and failed to combat misleading advertising and disinformation.
The Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into force last year, requires Big Tech to take more action against illegal and harmful content on social media platforms.
“We suspect that Meta’s moderation is inadequate, that it lacks transparency in advertising and content moderation processes,” EU digital chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.
“That is why today we have initiated proceedings against Meta to examine their compliance with the Digital Services Act,” she said.
The regulatory move comes amid concerns over Russia, China and Iran as potential sources of disinformation have increased in the run-up to the EU elections.
Last month, an alleged Russian-sponsored network seeking to influence the June 6-9 vote was uncovered. Politicians across the bloc were reportedly paid to parrot Moscow’s narratives, particularly regarding the invasion of Ukraine.
Anti-establishment parties are also accused of spreading their own disinformation as they seek to increase their presence in the next five-year EU Parliament.
After the EU announcement, Meta tried to defend its risk mitigation processes.
“We have a well-established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work,” said a Meta spokesperson.
However, the EU also expressed concern that Meta is rejecting its disinformation tracking CrowdTangle without an adequate replacement.
Meta has announced that it will replace CrowdTangle with a new content library, a technology that is still in development.
Facebook and Instagram are among the 23 “very large” online platforms that must comply with the DSA, otherwise they face fines of up to 6 percent of a platform’s global sales or, in serious cases, even a ban.
Other platforms include Amazon, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.
Meta has five working days to inform the EU of remedial measures taken to address its concerns.