European Commission probes Facebook, Instagram for failing to counter Russian disinformation

Politico reported the information.

The European Commission suspects Facebook and Instagram of failing to comply with the requirements for limiting the spread of false information and coordinated foreign manipulation under the EU's content moderation law, the Digital Services Act (DSA). 

According to the European Commission, Facebook and Instagram may also not sufficiently limit the spread of misleading advertising, disinformation campaigns, and coordinated bot farms.

According to the report, in case of violations, the company may be fined up to 6% of its annual revenue.

"This Commission has created means to protect European citizens from targeted disinformation and manipulation by third countries. If we suspect a violation of the rules, we act," said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.

In addition, EU countries are considering a much broader sanctions regime against Russian manipulative operations around the world.

In response, Meta spokesperson Ben Walters referred to previous statements about the company's work to combat Russian disinformation. According to him, the company has "a well-established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms.”

"We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work," he emphasized.

• On April 30, media reported that the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen did not rule out that the Chinese service for creating and watching short videos TikTok could be blocked in the EU.