Facebook, Google and Twitter must do more to tackle fake news or face
regulatory action, the European Commission said on Tuesday.
The threat by the EU executive came a year after the U.S. tech giants together with Mozilla, Microsoft
and seven European trade bodies signed up to a voluntary code of
conduct to combat fake news in a move aimed at warding off intrusive
rules.
The Commission is now drawing up regulations known as the
Digital Services Act. This will set out liability and safety rules for
digital platforms, services and products, a move which has already
triggered fears in the tech industry of heavy-handed intervention.
The
latest monthly report from the companies showed a wide divergence
between them and provided few details on the impact of the measures
taken by the companies, EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova, EU
security chief Julian King and EU digital commissioner Mariya Gabriel
said in a joint statement.
"Large-scale
automated propaganda and disinformation persist and there is more work
to be done under all areas of the Code. We cannot accept this as a new
normal," they said.
They called on the companies to cooperate with
more independent bodies. An independent consultant hired by the
Commission will publish its assessment early next year, followed by the
EU executive's own study.
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