Major online platforms such as TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) failed to effectively combat Russian disinformation during the first year of the war in Ukraine, according to a study published this Wednesday by the European Union (EU).
The publication of this independent study, conducted on behalf of the EU, comes after stricter regulations for these platforms came into effect this month under the new Digital Services Act (DAS).
The study examined the compliance of six platforms — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (now renamed X), YouTube, TikTok and Telegram — with the new rules.
Six, with the exception of Telegram, have increased commitments since August 25 to control content, combat misinformation and hate online.
The authors of the report note that “risk reduction standards were not met in case of disinformation by the Kremlin.”
The European Commission, however, stressed that “limited access to data imposes certain reservations on the assessment” that the efforts of technology companies were insufficient.
The EU is concerned about possible disinformation campaigns during the European elections scheduled for next year.
According to the study, there is a “high risk” that Russia will try to influence the vote.
“The rules provided by the DSA hold great promise for stopping the Kremlin’s disinformation campaigns and attacks by other states on democracy and fundamental rights,” the authors emphasize.
“But they need to be applied quickly and effectively,” they add.
Even before the entry into force of the DSA, the companies being assessed, with the exception of Telegram, signed a code of best practice for combating online disinformation, which contains about forty voluntary commitments aimed, in particular, at improving cooperation with fact-checkers. [Fact-checking, em inglês] and block “sites” that spread fake news.
These commitments “mitigated some of the Kremlin’s malicious actions,” the authors of the report say, who, however, regret that the platforms “did not implement these measures at a systemic level.”
Social network X withdrew from the code of conduct last June.
The authors also warned that Russian disinformation online intensified in 2023 following the acquisition of Twitter by billionaire Elon Musk, “partly as a result of the dismantling of security standards” of the social network taken over by X.
Elon Musk, after his ascension to the top of the social network, launched a wave of layoffs, sacking many of the moderators who checked Twitter content.
Last week, Musk assured that the platform is “making every effort” to comply with DSA rules.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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