Next week, the EU is to introduce directives according to which social networks X, TikTok, Facebook and other online platforms will have to take measures to reduce risks to elections or face fines. This is reported by the European Commission, UNN writes with reference to Euractiv.
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In February, the EU executive released draft guidelines as part of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires large tech companies to do more to combat illegal and harmful content on their platforms.
Concerns about election interference and misleading content created by artificial intelligence have grown ahead of the European Parliament elections in June.
The Commission will use these recommendations as a kind of checklist. They are not legally binding on platforms. Companies are free to choose how to mitigate risks. But if platforms do not take the risks into account, they can be fined under the DSA
He said that as much as big tech companies and search engines play an important role in shaping public opinion and voter behavior, it is crucial that they take effective measures to mitigate risks associated with electoral processes.
According to the Commission's representative, the guidelines will define risk mitigation measures and best practices in more detail, in particular, regarding generative content with artificial intelligence.
Companies face fines of up to 6% of their annual global turnover for violating the Digital Services Law.
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In recent weeks, Facebook's parent company Meta Platforms, YouTube's parent company Google, and TikTok have announced various measures, including the creation of teams to counter disinformation, AI abuse, and covert influence on the European Parliament elections.