The European Commission this Friday called on representatives of major internet platforms and search engines to ensure that they fulfill their responsibilities to protect European elections under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The Commission met with Apple, Google, LinkedIn, Meta, Microsoft, Pinterest, Snapchat, TikTok, Wikimedia, X and YouTube to review how they apply election rules under the DSA, legislation that aims to prevent illegal and harmful online activities and the spread of misinformation.
The Commission’s services are paying particular attention to preparing platforms to respond to incidents and risks associated with generative artificial intelligence, community sources told EFE.
Following the publication of the DSA election guidelines on 26 March, the Commission expects these companies to act in accordance with them or present equally effective alternative measures.
The Commission’s services also wanted to know whether the platforms were prepared for a sharp increase in risk after serious incidents, such as the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
According to the above-mentioned sources, the companies, when asked about the precautions they are taking to prevent uncontrolled disinformation and manipulation of information associated with these types of events, responded that they have increased vigilance.
Brussels has three procedures open for suspected violations of DSA obligations. One is against social network X, related to the effectiveness of measures taken to combat the manipulation of information on the platform, and the other two are against Facebook and Instagram, focusing on misleading advertising and disinformation.