Meta, Google And Twitter Vow To Comply With EU Law To Fight Disinformation

The European Union is forcing social media companies to comply with their rules. (photo; doc europa.eu)

JAKARTA – Meta Platform Inc. subsidiaries Alphabet Inc and Twitter and Microsoft agreed on Thursday, June 16 to take a tougher line against disinformation under an updated European Union code of practice or legislation. These deals can provide them with hefty fines or sanctions if they fail to do so.

"More than 30 signatories including advertising bodies have committed to an updated Code of Practice on disinformation," the European Commission said, citing Reuters.

According to the EU Executive, the signatories agreed to do more to tackle deep-seated counterfeiting, fake accounts and political advertising. Meanwhile, non-compliance can result in a fine of 6% of the company's global turnover.

Other companies, including TikTok and Amazon's live e-sports streaming platform Twitch, have six months to deliver on their promises and must present progress reports by early 2023.

"This new code is testimony that Europe has learned from experience and that we are no longer naive," EU Commission Vice President Vera Jourova told a news conference.

He said Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic and Britain's withdrawal from the European Union accelerated the EU's crackdown on fake news.

"These sanctions may include banning companies from operating from Europe," said EU industry chief Thierry Breton. "If there is a consistent violation of the rules, we can also think about terminating their access to our information room."

Critics such as the Association for Commercial Television and Video on Demand Services in Europe (ACT) say there are serious flaws in the revised Code.

"The review does not offer a concrete commitment to limiting 'unauthorized manipulative behavior'. The commitment is nothing more than a comprehensive statement to follow clear laws and do not require the Code," he said.