Europe lists everything internet giants must do against fake news


Europe is forcing tech giants to do more against disinformation, by advancing a “reinforced” code of good practice.

Do more and better against fake news. This, in short, is the watchword of the European Union to large companies that are signatories to the code of good practice against disinformation. On June 16, the European Commission presented a new version of this framework, which applies to companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter and TikTok.

The very first version of this code of good practice against fake news dates back to 2018, when the European Union had started a few years ago to develop a plan against fake news. A first wave of major platforms had agreed to sign this code, and others followed suit in the following years.

The code concerns several large American companies in Silicon Valley, which are the ones that occupy the front of the stage in tech. // Source: HBO

A hardened version of the code to go further against fake news

But after four years, it is clear that this initial version was not enough and that the efforts of technology companies in this area must be encouraged and supported, if not relaunched. This is the meaning of this “enhanced” code, which states ” precise and detailed commitments additional to the current 34 signatories.

” The reinforced code aims to address the shortcomings of the previous code, by providing both stronger and more detailed commitments and measures, which build on the operational lessons of recent years. “, explains Brussels, which has also published a FAQ to complete its communication.

The new commitments are as follows:

  • Go beyond the 34 signatoriesincluding towards smaller platforms, but which may have a role to play in this fight;
  • Type in walletby drying up any source of advertising revenue for those generating fake news;
  • Include new manipulationswhether fake accounts, bots, ultra-realistic video tricks (like deepfakes);
  • Provide the public with more effective tools to identify, report and dissect false information;
  • Developing fact-checking (fact-checking) throughout the European Union and in all languages, and remunerate those who do this work;
  • Transparency in political advertising and guarantee it so that Internet users understand the meaning of what they see, who funds what, how much and for what purpose;
  • Open platform data further so that researchers can produce analyzes and trace their findings;
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the code of good practiceswith tools to track and evaluate platform ads;
  • Set up a task force and a transparency center to monitor the implementation of the code, ensure its relevance and prepare for its development.

The code of good practices to fight against fake news is part of a broader regulatory framework for digital and tech. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) also aims to police personal data practices. Other measures are also on the way, such as DMA and DSA.



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