On Thursday 16 January, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) called on the European Commission to act quickly to prevent the shutdown of Meta’s fact-checking service in Europe.
The American company’s decision of 7 January to end this service in the United States has paved the way for a similar decision in the European Union. This decision would lead to an “informational and democratic crisis”, according to RSF and the EFJ.
In an open letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the two organisations call on the Commission to take “all measures, including sanctions, provided for by the Digital Services Act (DSA)”. All the more so as, by ending fact-checking, the company would be going against the commitment it made in 2022 as part of the European Code of Best Practice on combating disinformation, “in particular commitment 30 on ‘Cooperation with the fact-checking community’”.
“The credibility of the Union is at stake”, as is the need to “guarantee European citizens’ right to reliable information”. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)