EU Commission Launches Disinformation Probes into Meta and TikTok

The European Union (EU) has turned its regulatory spotlight onto Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and short-form video platform TikTok, in response to potential disinformation handling pertaining to the recent conflict between Hamas and Israel. The inquiries pose the first real test of the EU's groundbreaking legislation on digital governance: the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The commission sent formal requests to Meta and TikTok on October 7, seeking comprehensive details about the platforms' protocols to mitigate the spread of "illegal content and disinformation." This follows a similar investigation launched into Elon Musk's social media platform X, previously known as Twitter.

The probe into Meta specifically pertains to its handling practices concerning the dissemination and amplification of disturbing content and disinformation around the Hamas-Israel conflict. Concurrently, the commission seeks insights into TikTok's strategies in managing the spread of terrorist, violent material, and hate speech across its vast platform.

Furthermore, the executive arm of the EU has asked Meta for further information on measures undertaken to safeguard election integrity. Both Meta and TikTok have until 25 October to meet these requests, with a slightly extended deadline to November 8 for lower priority aspects of the requests.

The rampant spread of false information and provocative material in the digital age has been a mounting concern, compounded by the recent events between Hamas and Israel, which generated a torrent of graphic imagery across various platforms. These new investigations exhibit the EU's ongoing commitment to regulate digital content and platform liabilities seriously.

Meta and TikTok, platforms boasting more than 45 million monthly European users, are classified as "very large platforms" and are thus liable to a slew of bans and potential repercussions under the new DSA for any unlawful online content they host, including potential fines equating to six percent of their global turnover. These tech giants have been notified of their responsibilities under this new regulatory regime by the EU's top tech enforcement officer, Commissioner Thierry Breton.