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EU Parliament concerned about more lenient fact-checking rules online

by AI | 24.Jan 2025 | Europe in brief AI

Facebook has announced that it will end cooperation with fact-checkers, initially in the USA. The EU Parliament now fears that more lenient rules could help an aggressor like Russia.

ILLUSTRATION - The apps Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp are displayed on the screen of a smartphone in front of the logo of the internet company Meta. Photo: Jens Büttner/dpa

Strasbourg (dpa) – The European Parliament fears advantages for Russia due to relaxed fact-checking rules on social networks. “The Parliament is deeply concerned,” it says in a press release. The latest announcements by social media companies to relax their fact-checking and moderation rules promote the global spread of Russia’s disinformation campaigns.

480 deputies voted in favor of a corresponding resolution, 58 against and 48 abstained. “The deputies call on the European Commission and the member states to strictly enforce the Digital Services Act in response to these announcements by Meta and previously those by X,” the Parliament further communicated. This is an important part of the fight against Russian disinformation. The resolution of the Parliament is not legally binding.

The Digital Services Act (DSA) is intended to curb the influence of large online platforms and ensure that action is consistently taken against hate speech, for example. If the platforms do not comply, they face high penalties – including fines amounting to six percent of the respective platform’s total worldwide annual revenue.

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg announced comprehensive changes in the moderation of online content. Meta is the parent company of Facebook. For this, the company – initially in the USA – will end cooperation with fact-checkers and introduce a system similar to the “Community Notes”, i.e., users’ notes, from X. (January 23)