According to the four sources said to the National Diplomat, Facebook and Instagram will get European Union investigations into potential violations of content-moderation rules at the earliest.
“EU Launches Investigations into Facebook and Instagram for Content Control”
“Facebook and Instagram Under Scrutiny by EU for Content Regulation”
“EU Initiates Probes Against Facebook and Instagram over Content Policies”
“EU Investigates Facebook and Instagram for Content Restriction Practices”
“EU Probes Facebook and Instagram Regarding Crackdown on Content”
The investigations are likely to target a spectrum of issues, including Meta’s handling of ads, particularly political ads, to investigate suspected violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA), said the individuals who were given obscurity to discuss a secret procedure.
The National Diplomat said this month that a Russian movement to control the European Parliament in June is succeeding on Facebook, pushing pro-Kremlin records with ads purchased via bogus accounts.
Social Media platforms like Facebook were invited to ensure that political ads and AI deep-fakes are distinctly labeled under the Digital Services Act section ahead of the election.
Hundreds of millions of Europeans will go to the polls on June 6–9 to select a new Parliament spokesperson, who will set the bloc’s plan for the coming five years. EU countries are anxious about a wave of Russian meddling that could sway voters’ thoughts. A French minister even cautioned that the country was “crushed with propaganda.”
Facebook Meta has also been questioned by controllers for months over other matters, such as how it attacks illegal or harmful videos uploaded by users to its social media sites, more general crises over disinformation, and how youth use the company’s digital services.
The Commission asked Meta officials to respond in October about material linked to Hamas’ attack on Israel, and in November-2023 desired information on election probity. In December-23 it asked the company about mental and physical health issues, how under eighteen used its services, and also about its algorithm and s*xual images of children.
Just last month, the European Union requested information about algorithms, deepfakes, Meta’s new ad-free subscription model, its Threads social network app, and how it determines the visibility of some accounts or posts, known as shadow prohibition.
Mr. Ben Walters, a representative of Meta said the company has “a well-established procedure for determining and mitigating risks on our social media platforms.” “We look forward to resuming our collaboration with the EC and providing them with further details of this work,” he said.
The executive of the European Union supervises how extensively online media comply with digital rules that require them to restrain illegal and harmful content such as disinformation under the Digital Services Act. Tech companies risk orders to break some features or fines of up to 6% of their global earnings.
This investigation may make Meta the third company targeted by DSA investigations. Controllers have been powering up their new tool against complex online content, already starting other investigations into TikTok, X and AliExpress.
Facebook Meta is individually suing the European Commission over a levy it must pay to bankroll the DSA’s enforcement. The official said it’s paying €11 million for the year 2024, nearly a quarter of what the European Union said it ought to.
