Several companies including TikTokMeta and Google have signed a code of good practice proposed by the European Commission.
Social networks and various online platforms are all confronted with the spread of fake news and set up moderation systems to prevent it from spreading.
A European code of good practice signed by most of the digital giants
Today, several very important digital players are committed to going further in the fight against disinformation by signing a code of good practice proposed by the European Commission.
Among the signatories are the Meta group (Facebook, Instagram), Twitter, Twitch, TikTok, Microsoft and Google, as well as companies specializing in advertising and NGOs, such as Reporters Without Borders and Avaaz.
This code is in fact a revision of a previous version published in 2018 by the European authorities, which takes into account recent events such as the Covid-19 pandemic or the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
” This new anti-disinformation code comes at a time when Russia is weaponizing disinformation as part of its military aggression against Ukraine, but also when we see attacks on democracy more generally. “, indicates in particular the Vice-President of the Commission in charge of values and transparency, Vera Jourov.
Commitments made and significant penalties for breaches
The signatories undertake in particular with the European Union to dry up advertising revenue from the dissemination of fake news and to demonetize the accounts and channels engaged in these acts. The platforms will also offer tools to report suspicious content and reduce the number of bots and fake accounts that feed their networks with fake news.
Finally, the social networks are committed to working closely with press organs and independent fact checkers (which Facebook is already doing, which has joined forces with several daily press titles), but also with researchers by offering them a access to a large volume of data to understand the phenomenon and try to contain it.
This code of good practice is backed by the future DSA (Digital Services Act), a new European directive currently being adopted which aims to force digital giants to effectively combat online harassment and misinformation. Many very restrictive measures are included, but also heavy penalties in the event of repeated infringements with fines of up to 6% of the total turnover of these companies, some of which generate several hundred billion dollars each year. .
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Source : The Verge
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