European regulators are investigating Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta amid concerns about misinformation and foreign interference on Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp ahead of EU elections. The European Commission is focusing on the lack of safeguards against misleading ads, deepfakes, and deceptive content aimed at influencing political divisions and elections.
The inquiry aims to push Meta to strengthen measures against malicious actors trying to disrupt the upcoming European Parliament elections. This investigation reflects the EU’s strict approach towards regulating big tech, in contrast to the US’s stance on free speech protection online. The Digital Services Act grants European authorities extensive powers to oversee and penalize major platforms like Meta.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, emphasized the importance of digital platforms meeting their obligations and committing enough resources to address concerns around content moderation. The investigation highlights worries about Meta’s content moderation systems’ deficiencies in identifying and removing harmful content from malicious sources, including a report revealing a Russian disinformation network utilizing Meta’s platforms.
Despite defending its policies and efforts to combat disinformation, Meta expressed readiness to cooperate with the European Commission. The inquiry is part of a broader push by EU regulators under the Digital Services Act, with similar investigations into TikTok and Twitter (now known as X). The potential penalties for violators are severe, including fines up to six percent of global revenue and office raids for evidence collection.
