The Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Fundamental Values, Vera Jourova, and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, presented on Wednesday 10 June a series of measures to deal with the phenomenon of disinformation linked to the Covid-19 pandemic (see EUROPE 12455/19).
With this action plan – described by Ms Jourova as a “to-do list for all involved to step up their work” – the Commission intends, among other things, to make the online platforms more transparent and accountable.
The Commission claims to have “closely monitored”, but without much success, the efforts made at its request (see EUROPE 12457/32, 12479/9) by the platforms since the beginning of the crisis.
“Monitoring and Reporting” Program
“We know only as much as platforms tell us”, Ms Jourová deplored to the press. “This is not enough, they have to open up and offer more evidence that the measures they have taken are working well”, she continued.
The Commission therefore intends to launch a “monitoring and reporting” programme. Platforms will be asked to provide monthly reports on their policies and actions to counter disinformation related to the new coronavirus.
In particular, the institution is awaiting data on the measures taken to promote information from health agencies, national and European authorities and the professional media, and on the action taken to limit advertising placements which are a source of disinformation about Covid-19.
TikTok joins the signatories of the Code of Good Practice
This monitoring programme will be set up in the framework of the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation (see EUROPE 12104/1),
but it will not be limited to this: platforms that are not currently signatories to the Code are no exception to the spread of false news related to coronavirus (see EUROPE 12479/9) and will indeed be invited to participate in the programme, the Commission said.
In particular, the TikTok platform has confirmed that it will sign the Code of Good Practice. “It will very soon conclude the formalities”, the Vice-President of the European institution said. Negotiations with the WhatsApp network are also underway.
The Commission also puts forward a series of recommendations to promote media independence and plurality, as well as the work of fact checkers and researchers.
Among other things, it calls on the platforms to set up, in partnership with the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), a framework for researchers to access data from the platforms, in order to “enhance the detection and analysis of disinformation”.
Strengthening international action
While underlining the efforts already made, the Commission and the High Representative finally acknowledged the need to further improve the EU's capacity to deliver timely, “coherent, consistent and visible messages” at global level, with a focus on the EU’s immediate neighbourhood, Africa, Asia and Latin America.
They therefore propose to strengthen cooperation with international partners, including international organisations, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), on strategic communication.
The EU will support cooperation and sharing of best practices in the fight against global disinformation and foreign influence operations.
It also intends to step up support for promoting access to reliable information, combating disinformation and working with journalists and the media.
The exchange of information with civil society and the private sector in non-Member States on situational awareness and threat developments will also be strengthened. For all these actions, EU delegations around the world will be involved.
The EU’s actions therefore involve communication and cooperation, and no coercive measures are envisaged, although the communication points the finger at the targeted influence operations and disinformation campaigns around Covid-19 being conducted by certain foreign actors and non-Member States, “in particular Russia and China”.
“It’s hard to imagine that we have the coercive capacity to prohibit what they’re doing. We don’t have it. We can only fight the information they disseminate [...] but we can hardly do anything else”, Mr Borrell said.
To consult the communication: https://bit.ly/30A05BD (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki and Camille-Cerise Gessant)