On Tuesday 26 March, several major digital platforms sent the European Commission their reports detailing the measures they are taking or plan to take to combat the spread of disinformation online.
These reports, produced under the Code of Practice on Disinformation, should enable the European Commission to assess the state of preparation of the platforms, two months ahead of the European elections.
They detail the measures taken to protect the integrity of the elections, for example by asking advertisers or creators to clearly indicate whether an image, video or sound has been digitally created or modified, by cooperating with fact-checking organisations, by highlighting information from reliable sources or by developing targeted media education campaigns.
These reports come at a time when the Commission has just launched its guidelines for the major digital platforms, with a view to anticipating the dangers that platforms may face during the election period (see other news).
Two weeks ago, the Commission sent a request for further information to Bing, Facebook, Google Search, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and X regarding generative AI and the potential risks for their users (see EUROPE 13371/25). According to a senior European official, the EU is seeking to ensure that these platforms are ready to anticipate and react to the massive dissemination of a deepfake, which could have serious consequences for the holding and conduct of elections.
Meta, Microsoft, Google and TikTok were among the platforms to submit their reports today.
While the Code of Practice on Disinformation is not a binding text, the Commission is considering launching the procedure for including it as a code of conduct under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The first reports were published in February and September 2023. The next series is scheduled for autumn 2024.
See the online reports: https://aeur.eu/f/bis (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)