EU to Launch Investigation into Meta Over Russian Disinformation

The European Union will launch an investigation into Facebook and Instagram this week over concerns that Meta, the parent company of the social media platforms, is not doing enough to counter disinformation from Russia and other countries, as reported by the Financial Times.

Regulators suspect that Meta’s social media moderation is not effective enough to stop the widespread dissemination of political advertising that could undermine the electoral process. The sources told the publication that European officials are particularly concerned about how Meta is responding to Russian attempts to undermine the upcoming European Parliament elections, which will be held from June 6 to 9.

However, it is expected that the European Commission will not single out Russia in its announcement of the investigation and will only mention information manipulation by foreign states.

The investigation will assess whether the way Facebook and Instagram place political content on their sites complies with the law.

There is no final deadline for the investigation to be completed — this will depend on Meta’s willingness to cooperate with regulators. After the investigation is complete, the European Commission will give Meta five working days to report on what steps it will take to rectify any shortcomings. Otherwise, the company could face sanctions under the Digital Services Act.

If the EU finds Meta to have violated the law, the company could be fined up to 6% of its annual turnover.

Earlier this year it was announced that Meta will create a team to combat disinformation and artificial intelligence (AI) misuse ahead of the European Parliament elections in June of this year. The decision was made in response to concerns about election interference and the spread of fake content