Companies such as Meta, Google and Twitter welcomed the new law of the European Union on the fight against disinformation.
Google, Twitter, Microsoft and Meta, the umbrella organization of Facebook and Instagram, have agreed to take a tougher stance against false news and information in order to comply with the European Union’s new disinformation regulation that imposes heavy fines.
The European Commission reported that more than 30 companies, including advertising organizations, have adopted the updated Code of Practice on disinformation.
Vera Jourova, Vice-President of the European Commission, confirmed the Reuters report last week, confirming that the signatories are more likely to be able to deal with fake accounts and political ads, in which a person featured in an existing image or video, known as a deepfake, is montaged over another person using artificial neural networks. He stated that they agree to make an effort and that those who do not comply with the rules can be fined up to 6 percent of the company’s global turnover.
Companies, including TikTok and Amazon’s live-streaming esports platform Twitch, have six months to meet their commitments and will need to submit a progress report by early 2023.
“The new law is proof that Europe has learned its lesson and that we are no longer naive,” said Jourova.
Jourova said the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic and the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union have accelerated the EU’s pressure on fake news.
The EU’s industry chief, Thierry Breton, said the sanctions could include banning European companies. “We may also consider stopping their access to our information space in the event of persistent non-observance of the rules,” Breton said.
Opponents of the law, such as the Association for Commercial Television and Select-and-View Services in Europe (ACT), argue that there are serious shortcomings in the revised practice.