EU Urges Google, Microsoft, Meta, And TikTok To Fight Russia's Disinformation Spread

Vice President of the European Commission, Vera Jourova (photo: Twitter @VeraJourova)

JAKARTA - The Vice President of the European Commission, Vera Jourova, on Tuesday 26 September, urged Alphabet, parent company Google, Microsoft, Meta Platforms Inc., and TikTok to take more action to address what it calls Russia's "million euro mass manipulation weapon" ahead of elections in Europe.

Jourova also highlighted Elon Musk's social platform X. He said that the platform has the largest fake news posting ratio among other major platforms.

Objections have increased in recent months over a wave of disinformation related to parliamentary elections in Slovakia on September 30 and Poland next month as well as the European Parliament election next year.

Companies and other online platforms have been sending data about their activities in the past six months to fight fake news as part of the EU's code of practice on disinformation.

This is the 1⃣st time platforms report with such extensive data under anti #disinformation Code.We must understand how it works & act, given increasing digitalisation.Disinfo remains a weapon in 🇷🇺’s war, undermining our #democracy.Upcoming #elections will be a stress test. pic.twitter.com/BARC0qFsgu

— Věra Jourová (@VeraJourova) September 26, 2023

This is the 1'st time platforms report with such extension data under anti #disinformation Code.We must understand how it works & act, given increasing digitalization.Disinfo plays a weapon in watch's war, undermining our #democracy.Upcoming #elactions will be a stress test. pic.twitter.com/BARC0qFsgu

"The Russian state is involved in a war of ideas to contaminate our information space with half the truth and lies to create a false image that democracy is no better than autocratics," he told a news conference.

"Mass manipulation weapons worth millions of euros today... Very large platforms must address this risk. Especially because we have to expect the Kremlin and others to be active before the election," said Jourova.

Following the last European Parliament election in 2019, Russia's Security Council described allegations that Moscow had spread disinformation to influence voters as absurd.

In February last year, Yevgeny Prigozhin, former head of Russia's paid army group Wagner, admitted to establishing the Internet Research Agency, which Washington says is a "candang" of disinformation that interfered in the 2016 US presidential election.

Jourova gave a warning to platform X, which came out of the EU's voluntary code of practice in May but based on the Digital Services Act (DSA), considered to be a "very large online platform," subject to stricter content rules.

"Mr. (Elon) Musk knows that he cannot escape the code of practice because now the Digital Services Act is fully enforced. So my message to Twitter is that you must comply with harsh laws and we will monitor what you are doing," he said.

Meanwhile, Russia has controlled Western social platforms after tightening sensors following last year's Ukrainian invasion and found Meta, the owner of Facebook, guilty of "extremist activity" in March 2022.