The European Union (EU) has demanded that Meta and TikTok provide details on their efforts to curb illegal content and disinformation during the Israel-Hamas war. The European Commission, the executive branch of the 27-nation bloc, has formally requested that social media companies provide information on how they are complying with the Digital Services Act (DSA), which took effect in August 2023. The DSA imposes extra obligations on the biggest tech companies to stop a wide range of illegal content from flourishing on their platforms or face the threat of hefty fines.
(Photo Illustration by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The EU has given Meta and TikTok a deadline of October 25 to provide information on their response to the crisis in Israel. Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and TikTok have been asked to explain the measures they have taken to reduce the risk of spreading and amplifying terrorist and violent content, hate speech, and disinformation. TikTok has also been requested to provide further information on steps taken over its “risk assessments and mitigation measures against the spreading of illegal content, in particular the spreading of terrorist and violent content and hate speech.”
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The EU’s new rules are being put to the test by the Israel-Hamas war. Photos and videos have flooded social media of the carnage alongside posts from users pushing false claims and misrepresenting videos from other events. The EU has specifically asked the platforms to prepare for the risk of live broadcasts of executions by Hamas, an imminent risk from which the EU must protect its citizens.
Meta and TikTok are bound by obligations set out in the DSA, a landmark piece of legislation that seeks to more effectively regulate online platforms. The EU has been ramping up its scrutiny of Big Tech companies, with demands for more transparency and accountability. Last week, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton wrote to several social media companies, including Meta and TikTok, giving them 24 hours to detail the measures they were taking to comply with EU rules on content moderation enshrined in the DSA.
Meta has said its teams have been working “around the clock” since the attacks by Hamas on October 7 to monitor its platforms and outlined some of its actions against misinformation and content that violates its policies and standards. TikTok has launched a command center to coordinate the work of its “safety professionals” around the world and improve the software it uses to automatically detect and remove graphic and violent content.
EU’s demands for Meta and TikTok
The EU has demanded that Meta and TikTok provide details on their efforts to curb illegal content and disinformation during the Israel-Hamas war. The EU has given Meta and TikTok a deadline of October 25 to provide information on their response to the crisis in Israel. The EU has specifically asked the platforms to prepare for the risk of live broadcasts of executions by Hamas, an imminent risk from which the EU must protect its citizens.
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The Digital Services Act
The Digital Services Act (DSA) imposes extra obligations on the biggest tech companies to stop a wide range of illegal content from flourishing on their platforms or face the threat of hefty fines. Meta and TikTok are bound by obligations set out in the DSA, a landmark piece of legislation that seeks to more effectively regulate online platforms.
Meta and TikTok’s response
Meta has said its teams have been working “around the clock” since the attacks by Hamas on October 7 to monitor its platforms and outlined some of its actions against misinformation and content that violates its policies and standards. TikTok has launched a command center to coordinate the work of its “safety professionals” around the world and improve the software it uses to automatically detect and remove graphic and violent content.
EU’s scrutiny of Big Tech companies
The EU has been ramping up its scrutiny of Big Tech companies, with demands for more transparency and accountability. Last week, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton wrote to several social media companies, including Meta and TikTok, giving them 24 hours to detail the measures they were taking to comply with EU rules on content moderation enshrined in the DSA.
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