Social media – Image by Biljana Jovanovic from Pixabay
(BRUSSELS) – Major online platform signatories to a revamped EU anti-disinformation Code, including Google and Twitter, have submitted first baseline reports on implementation of commitments they made.
Most major online platforms (Google, Meta, TikTok and Microsoft) demonstrated strong commitment to the reporting, providing an unprecedented level of detail about the implementation of their commitments under the Code, and – for the first time – data at Member State level. Twitter, however, provides little specific information and no targeted data in relation to its commitments.
EC vice-president Vera Jourova hailed the reports as an important milestone in the fight against disinformation. Calling for more, independently verifiable transparency, she said she was “disappointed to see that Twitter report lags behind others and I expect a more serious commitment to their obligations stemming from the Code. “
She also warned that “Russia is engaged also in a full-blown disinformation war and the platforms need to live up to their responsibilities.”
- Google indicates that in Q3 2022 it prevented more than EUR 13 million of advertising revenues from flowing to disinformation actors in the EU.
- TikTok reported that in Q3 2022 they removed more than 800,000 fake accounts, while more than 18 million users were following these accounts. They also indicate that the fake accounts removed represent 0.6% of the EU monthly active users.
- Meta reported that in December 2022, about 28 million fact-checking labels were applied on Facebook and 1.7 million on Instagram. When it comes to the effectiveness of these labels, Meta indicates that on average, 25% of Facebook users do not forward content after receiving a warning that the content has been indicated as false by fact-checkers. This percentage increases to 38% on Instagram. Meta also provides data on Member State level regarding fact-checking efforts.
- Microsoft reported that the news reliability ratings provided under its partnership with Newsguard (itself also a signatory of the Code) were displayed 84,211 times in the Edge browser discover pane to EU users in December 2022.
On the war of aggression in Ukraine:
- Google’s YouTube blocked more than 800 channels and more than 4 million videos related to the Russia/Ukraine conflict since 24 February 2022.
- Microsoft Advertising prevented between February and December 2022 about 25,000 advertiser submissions relating to the Ukrainian crisis globally, and removed 2,328 domains.
- TikTok, from October to December 2022, 90 videos were fact-checked related to the war, and 29 videos removed a consequence of fact-checking activity.
The 30 Signatories of the Code of Practice on Disinformation had six months after signing the Code to put in place actions to fulfil the commitments they subscribed to. These baseline reports provide a first state of play of the steps taken to implement commitments and measures under the Code, and a first set of qualitative and quantitative reporting elements covering the first month of implementation.
The full reports are available online at the ‘Transparency Centre’ which aims to ensure that the public receives accurate and timely information about the implementation of the Code.
