About: Code of practice against disinformation
YouTube blocks access to Russian state-controlled media amid EU states’ call for action
YouTube on Tuesday (1 March) blocked accounts connected to Russian state-controlled RT and Sputnik and removed thousands of videos following calls to curb the spread of pro-Kremlin propaganda on social media after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Commission sets the bar for anti-disinformation measures
The freshly published Guidance on Strengthening the Code of Practice on Disinformation illustrates the European Commission's expectations on the anti-disinformation measures for online platforms. While the Code is non-binding, the measures are likely to become mandatory following the adoption of the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Lawmakers call for tougher EU disinformation laws in wake of US riots
Lawmakers in the European Parliament have raised concerns at the role that social media played in the storming of the US Capitol in Washington, saying the EU's proposed Digital Services Act (DSA) should double down on the spread of conspiratorial material online.
EU probes Russian disinformation efforts on Navalny and Belarus
The EU's foreign affairs branch is monitoring disinformation tactics allegedly used by the Russian state across communications platforms such as Telegram and media including RT and Sputnik on the poisoning of Alexei Navalny and the continuing protests in Belarus.
‘Utmost importance’ for transparency rules on political ads, EU report says
It is of the 'utmost importance' for the EU to do more to reign in the unregulated environment of online political advertising by establishing more stringent transparency obligations, said a European Commission-backed report on media plurality, published on Thursday (23 July).
EU code of practice on disinformation ‘insufficient and unsuitable,’ member states say
A coalition of EU member states have hit out at the bloc's efforts to stem the spread of disinformation, calling the self-regulatory framework currently in place "insufficient and unsuitable."
Commission study calls for ‘sanctions’ for online disinformation
A European Commission study on the effectiveness of the EU's code of practice against disinformation has criticised the self-regulatory nature of the framework, suggesting that "sanctions and redress mechanisms" should be put into place in order to ensure compliance with the rules.
Regulation against fake news ‘very important,’ Reynders says
The European Parliament and Council should work with the Commission to consider how best to implement a potential legal clampdown on fake news online, the EU's Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders has said.
EU Rapid Alert System used amid coronavirus disinformation campaign
An EU instrument designed to monitor serious cases of disinformation has been triggered following a series of online campaigns surrounding the deadly coronavirus outbreak, the European Commission has confirmed.
Facebook ‘on the side of free expression’ as EU steps up disinformation fight
Social media giant Facebook has warned against curtailing freedom of expression as the EU considers measures to clamp down on disinformation campaigns across online platforms.
EU mulls disinformation regulation but admits alert system has ‘never been triggered’
The case for the EU regulation of online disinformation "will be evaluated" in the coming months ahead of a decision in early 2020, a Commission official revealed on Tuesday (29 October). At the same time, the EU's executive conceded that its disinformation alert system has never been triggered.
Facebook to work with ‘trustworthy’ media after Russian fake news offensive
Facebook said it will enable “trustworthy” news publishers to generate additional revenue on its social media site, following EU accusations of Russian meddling in last month's European election campaign.
Google, Facebook, Twitter rapped for not doing enough in EU fake news fight
Facebook, Google and Twitter were reprimanded by the European Commission on Friday (17 May) for not doing enough to tackle fake news plaguing the election campaign to the European Parliament, seven months after promising to do more.
In the fight against fake news, YouTube has a ‘bias toward keeping content up’
YouTube has a systemic 'bias towards keeping content up,' although the video-sharing platform recently removed more than one million channels for violation of its policies as part of the EU's code of practice against disinformation, EURACTIV has learnt.
Emerging media policies for EU 2019-24
DISCLAIMER: All opinions in this dossier reflect the views of the author(s), not of EURACTIV.COM Ltd. “Healthy democracies depend on a healthy media sector,” Digital Commissioner Mariya Gabriel told a recent EURACTIV event. Yet, the media sector consistently faces multiple challenges, notably...
Commission urges platforms to take action on fake accounts before EU elections
Online platforms need to step up their attempts to quell the spread of fake accounts but also provide greater independent access to their content for fact checkers, as part of their wider efforts in compliance with the code of practice against disinformation, the European Commission said on Wednesday (20 March).
Russian disinformation attempts to weaken ‘America’s commitment to Europe,’ US ambassador says
The Russian state is engaging in “subtle and insidious” disinformation campaigns that aim to “weaken America’s commitment to Europe” and “exploit the open market of ideas in our democracy,” the US Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland has said.
EU Commission hits out at Facebook’s disinformation report
European Commission Security Chief Julian King criticised the "patchy, opaque and self-selecting" reporting provided by Facebook and other tech giants following their bids to comply with the EU's code of practice against disinformation on Tuesday (29 January).