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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/apr/29/eu-to-investigate-meta-over-election-misinformation-ahead-of-june-polls
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| EU to investigate Meta over election misinformation before June polls | EU to investigate Meta over election misinformation before June polls |
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| Brussels to act later this week against Facebook and Instagram owner over policies on deceptive advertising and political content, reports say | Brussels to act later this week against Facebook and Instagram owner over policies on deceptive advertising and political content, reports say |
| The EU is set to launch formal proceedings against Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, amid concerns it is not doing enough to counter disinformation before the EU elections in June, according to reports. | The EU is set to launch formal proceedings against Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, amid concerns it is not doing enough to counter disinformation before the EU elections in June, according to reports. |
| It is understood the European Commission will make a move later this week against suspected infringements by Meta covering policies and practices relating to deceptive advertising and political content. | |
| It is also expected to express concerns about the lack of effective monitoring of election content and a potentially inadequate mechanism for flagging illegal content. | |
| It is understood the commission is concerned that Meta’s moderation system is not robust enough to counterbalance the potential proliferation of fake news and attempts to suppress voting. | |
| The Financial Times reported that officials are particularly worried about the way Meta’s platforms are handling Russia’s efforts to undermine upcoming European elections, although it will stop short of citing the Kremlin in proceedings. | The Financial Times reported that officials are particularly worried about the way Meta’s platforms are handling Russia’s efforts to undermine upcoming European elections, although it will stop short of citing the Kremlin in proceedings. |
| Reports suggest that the commission is particularly concerned over Meta’s plan to discontinue CrowdTangle, a public insights tool that allows real-time disinformation researchers, journalists and others across the EU to monitor the spread of fake news and attempts to suppress voting. | Reports suggest that the commission is particularly concerned over Meta’s plan to discontinue CrowdTangle, a public insights tool that allows real-time disinformation researchers, journalists and others across the EU to monitor the spread of fake news and attempts to suppress voting. |
| Under sweeping new laws forcing tech firms to regulate their own content for compliance with the law in the EU, Facebook and others are obliged to have systems to guard against the systemic risk of election interference. | Under sweeping new laws forcing tech firms to regulate their own content for compliance with the law in the EU, Facebook and others are obliged to have systems to guard against the systemic risk of election interference. |
| A spokesperson for Meta said: “We have a well-established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work.” | A spokesperson for Meta said: “We have a well-established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work.” |
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| The European parliamentary elections are being held on 6-9 June against a backdrop of increasing disinformation across the bloc. | The European parliamentary elections are being held on 6-9 June against a backdrop of increasing disinformation across the bloc. |
| Last week a Czech news agency website was hacked to display fake news. | Last week a Czech news agency website was hacked to display fake news. |
| One of the articles claimed that the Czech counterintelligence service had prevented an assassination attempt on the Slovak president, Peter Pellegrini, the other carried an alleged reaction from the Czech foreign minister, Jan Lipavský, to the news. | One of the articles claimed that the Czech counterintelligence service had prevented an assassination attempt on the Slovak president, Peter Pellegrini, the other carried an alleged reaction from the Czech foreign minister, Jan Lipavský, to the news. |
| Last month the Czech government uncovered what it believed was a Moscow-orchestrated disinformation network. | Last month the Czech government uncovered what it believed was a Moscow-orchestrated disinformation network. |
| The Belgian prime minister also recently revealed the federal prosecutor had opened an investigation into alleged payments of MEPs by Russia with a view to electing more pro-Russian deputies to the European parliament. | The Belgian prime minister also recently revealed the federal prosecutor had opened an investigation into alleged payments of MEPs by Russia with a view to electing more pro-Russian deputies to the European parliament. |
| If the move on Meta is confirmed it will come just days after the commission carried out stress tests on all the big social media platforms to determine whether there were adequate safeguards in place against Russian disinformation. | If the move on Meta is confirmed it will come just days after the commission carried out stress tests on all the big social media platforms to determine whether there were adequate safeguards in place against Russian disinformation. |
| The European parliament on Monday released tips to voters with a list of previous incidents, including claims that only pens with certain coloured ink will be accepted on ballot papers. | The European parliament on Monday released tips to voters with a list of previous incidents, including claims that only pens with certain coloured ink will be accepted on ballot papers. |