BRUSSELS (BELGIUM) – After agreeing to a self-regulatory practice code to tackle disinformation, Facebook, Alphabet’s Google, Twitter and other tech rivals must strive to be more effective, the European Commission said on Thursday.
Fake news related to COVID-19 making rounds on social media has led to increased calls to be more active in facing the issue.
The companies, including Mozilla and trade bodies for the advertising industry, agreed to the code in 2018 in order to have more of heavy-handed regulation. Microsoft and TikTok subsequently joined the group.
According to a report, “These can be grouped in four broad categories: inconsistent and incomplete application of the code across platforms and member states, lack of uniform definitions, existence of several gaps in the coverage of the code commitments, and limitations intrinsic to the self-regulatory nature of the code.”
The commission vice president for values and transparency, Vera Jourova, said, “As we also witness new threats and actors the time is ripe to go further and propose new measures. The platforms need to become more accountable and transparent. They need to open up and provide better access to data, among others.”
Jourova is currently working on a European Democracy Action Plan to make it more prepared to digital threats.