EU wants social media to do more on coronavirus misinformation
4 years, 7 months ago

EU wants social media to do more on coronavirus misinformation

CNN  

London CNN Business — The European Union wants social media platforms to submit monthly reports on how they’re handling misinformation around the coronavirus pandemic. “We have witnessed a wave of false and misleading information, hoaxes and conspiracy theories as well as targeted influence operations by foreign actors,” Commission Vice President Josep Borrell said at a press conference. What is more, this information in times of the coronavirus can kill.” The European Commission wants platforms who have signed up to the 2018 code of conduct to provide monthly reports with detailed data “on their actions to promote authoritative content, improve users’ awareness, and limit coronavirus disinformation and advertising related to it.” It also wants social media to be more “transparent about implementation of their policies to inform users that interact with disinformation.” The code of conduct and monthly reports are due to be incorporated into a broader set of binding regulations before the end of 2020. Sinead McSweeney, vice president of public policy at Twitter, said in a statement the company also supports the efforts “to bring increased transparency and understanding to the fight against disinformation,” noting that Twitter’s programming interface has been kept open for researchers to better understand how information spreads on the platform.

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History of this topic

European Union says X’s blue checks are deceptive ‘dark patterns’ that breach its social media laws
5 months, 4 weeks ago

European Union says X’s blue checks are deceptive ‘dark patterns’ that breach its social media laws

Associated Press  

LONDON — The European Union said Friday that blue checkmarks from Elon Musk’s X are deceptive and that the online platform falls short on transparency and accountability requirements, the first charges against a tech company since the bloc’s new social media regulations took effect. Regulators took aim at X’s blue checks, saying they constitute “dark patterns” that are not in …

Fake news on social media is the problem we’re all ignoring – trust me, I worked for Twitter
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Fake news on social media is the problem we’re all ignoring – trust me, I worked for Twitter

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Back when I worked at Twitter, …

European Union braces for foreign disinformation as voters head to polls
7 months ago

European Union braces for foreign disinformation as voters head to polls

Hindustan Times  

BRUSSELS — Voters in the European Union are set to elect lawmakers starting Thursday for the bloc's parliament, in a major democratic exercise that's also likely to be overshadowed by online disinformation. Tusk, meanwhile, called out Russia's “destabilization strategy on the eve of the European elections.” On a broader level, the goal of “disinformation campaigns is often not to disrupt …

EU investigates Meta over Facebook and Instagram child safety
7 months, 3 weeks ago

EU investigates Meta over Facebook and Instagram child safety

Al Jazeera  

The European Commission says it is concerned systems used by apps could ‘exploit weaknesses and inexperience’ of children and stimulate ‘addictive behaviour’. European Union regulators have opened a formal investigation into Meta for potential breaches of online content rules relating to child safety in its Facebook and Instagram platforms. Thierry Breton, the EU’s internal market commissioner, said on X the …

EU opens probe into Facebook and Instagram amid claims they are not doing enough to tackle Russian disinformation ahead of crunch elections
8 months, 1 week ago

EU opens probe into Facebook and Instagram amid claims they are not doing enough to tackle Russian disinformation ahead of crunch elections

Daily Mail  

The European Union has launched an investigation into Facebook and Instagram amid claims they are not doing enough to tackle Russian disinformation which could potentially undermine democracy. 'If we suspect a violation of the rules, we act,' Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Brussels is especially concerned that Meta, the company which runs the social media platforms, does not …

Meta under fire from European Union for not doing enough about election disinformation
8 months, 1 week ago

Meta under fire from European Union for not doing enough about election disinformation

Associated Press  

LONDON — The European Union said Tuesday that it’s investigating Facebook and Instagram for suspected violations of the bloc’s digital rulebook, including not doing enough to protect users from foreign disinformation ahead of EU-wide elections. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said it’s opening formal proceedings into whether parent company Meta Platforms breached the Digital Services Act, a sweeping …

EU launches disinformation probe against social media giant Meta
8 months, 1 week ago

EU launches disinformation probe against social media giant Meta

Al Jazeera  

Meta defends risk mitigation process after EU says the companies efforts at moderating content was ‘insufficient’. The European Commission has launched a disinformation probe against social media giant Meta. The commission said Meta’s efforts at moderating content are “insufficient” and fail to tackle deceptive advertising and disinformation. The Digital Services Act, which became effective last year, requires “Big Tech” to …

France on alert for disinformation ahead of European polls
8 months, 2 weeks ago

France on alert for disinformation ahead of European polls

The Hindu  

France has urged social media platforms to increase monitoring of disinformation online in the run-up to the European Parliament elections, a Minister said on April 24. The junior Minister said he had urged the European Commission to help ensure social media platforms "require the greatest vigilance during the campaign period, the electoral silence period and on the day of the …

Brussels warns social media platforms ahead of EU elections
9 months, 1 week ago

Brussels warns social media platforms ahead of EU elections

Dutch News  

Social media platforms will face penalties, including legal action, if they do not take steps against disinformation in preparation for the European parliament elections in June, and other elections in Europe this year. The European Commission has published guidelines asking social media to “mitigate systemic risks online that may impact the integrity of elections”. The commission has also called on …

Europe asks Google, Facebook, TikTok and other platforms how they're reducing generative AI risks
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Europe asks Google, Facebook, TikTok and other platforms how they're reducing generative AI risks

The Hindu  

European Union regulators on Thursday ratcheted up scrutiny of big tech companies including Google, Facebook and TikTok with requests for information on how they're dealing with risks from generative artificial intelligence, such as the viral spread of deepfakes. The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, has sent questionnaires about the ways that eight platforms and search engines — including Microsoft's …

Europe asks Google, Facebook, TikTok and other platforms how they’re reducing generative AI risks
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Europe asks Google, Facebook, TikTok and other platforms how they’re reducing generative AI risks

Associated Press  

LONDON — European Union regulators on Thursday ratcheted up scrutiny of big tech companies including Google, Facebook and TikTok with requests for information on how they’re dealing with risks from generative artificial intelligence, such as the viral spread of deepfakes. The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, has sent questionnaires about the ways that eight platforms and search engines — …

European Union investigating Musk’s X over possible breaches of social media law
1 year ago

European Union investigating Musk’s X over possible breaches of social media law

Associated Press  

LONDON — The European Union on Monday made Elon Musk’s online platform X the first tech company to face an investigation under Europe’s tough new regulations designed to clean up social media and protect people from toxic online content. “Today we open formal infringement proceedings against @X” under the Digital Services Act, European Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a post …

EU demands Meta and TikTok detail efforts to curb disinformation from Israel-Hamas war
1 year, 2 months ago

EU demands Meta and TikTok detail efforts to curb disinformation from Israel-Hamas war

The Hindu  

The European Union on Thursday demanded Meta and TikTok detail their efforts to curb illegal content and disinformation during the Israel-Hamas war, flexing the power of a new law that threatens billions in fines if tech giants fail to do enough to protect users. The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive branch, formally requested that the social media companies provide …

European Union Opens Investigation Into X's Content Over Hamas' Attack On Israel
1 year, 2 months ago

European Union Opens Investigation Into X's Content Over Hamas' Attack On Israel

ABP News  

The European Union has launched an investigation into Elon Musk-owned X's role over the spread of disinformation and violent content over Hamas' attack on Israel, the media has reported. Social media platforms X, formerly Twitter, TikTok and Mark Zuckerberg's Meta have witnesses a rise in false content about the Israel and Hamas conflict, with disinformation appearing to be most prevalent …

EU officials warn TikTok over Israel-Hamas disinformation
1 year, 2 months ago

EU officials warn TikTok over Israel-Hamas disinformation

CNN  

CNN — EU officials warned TikTok Thursday about “illegal content and disinformation” on its platform linked to the war between Hamas and Israel, calling for CEO Shou Zi Chew to respond within 24 hours. In a letter to Chew, European Commissioner Thierry Breton said failure to comply with European Union laws around content moderation could result in penalties. It is …

Social media platforms must ‘act swiftly to combat antisemitism’
1 year, 2 months ago

Social media platforms must ‘act swiftly to combat antisemitism’

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Social media platforms must take swift action to remove illegal and …

X is spreading 'disinformation' on Hamas attack after Elon Musk promotes account known to lie, warns EU
1 year, 2 months ago

X is spreading 'disinformation' on Hamas attack after Elon Musk promotes account known to lie, warns EU

Firstpost  

Elon Musk recently promoted two accounts that are known to spread misinformation, as the go-to source for all things around the Israel-Hamas conflict. The EU has taken note of this, and has warned Musk and X Corp to be careful On Tuesday, Thierry Breton, the European Union’s digital chief, issued a warning to Elon Musk regarding his platform X, previously …

Europe's sweeping rules for tech giants are about to kick in. Here's how they work
1 year, 4 months ago

Europe's sweeping rules for tech giants are about to kick in. Here's how they work

The Hindu  

Google, Facebook, TikTok and other Big Tech companies operating in Europe are facing one of the most far-reaching efforts to clean up what people encounter online. TikTok made similar changes, stopping users aged 13 to 17 from getting personalised ads “based on their activities on or off TikTok.” Zalando, a German online fashion retailer, has filed a legal challenge over …

Is it real or made by AI? Europe wants a label for that as it fights disinformation
1 year, 7 months ago

Is it real or made by AI? Europe wants a label for that as it fights disinformation

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. EU Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said the ability …

Twitter Warned By EU Over Disinformation, Favouring Russia Agenda
1 year, 8 months ago

Twitter Warned By EU Over Disinformation, Favouring Russia Agenda

ABP News  

According to a recent tweet by Vera Jourova, Vice-President for Values and Transparency at the EU, the EU has issued a warning to Elon Musk's Twitter over the spread of disinformation and promotion of the Kremlin agenda. Jourova expressed her concern that Twitter's policies have made the digital information space unsafe and susceptible to malicious influence from authoritarian governments. Jourova …

East Europe governments urge tech firms to fight disinformation
1 year, 9 months ago

East Europe governments urge tech firms to fight disinformation

The Hindu  

Ukraine and seven other central and eastern European nations have called on the world's top tech firms to act to fight disinformation on their social media platforms by hostile powers which they say undermine peace and stability. "Foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation is being deployed to destabilize our countries, weaken our democracies, to derail Moldova’s and Ukraine’s accession …

E.U. calls out Twitter for incomplete disinformation report
1 year, 11 months ago

E.U. calls out Twitter for incomplete disinformation report

The Hindu  

Twitter failed to provide a full report to the European Union on its efforts to combat online disinformation, drawing a rebuke Thursday from top officials of the 27-nation bloc. The company signed up to the EU's voluntary 2022 Code of Practice on Disinformation last year — before billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk bought the social media platform. Google, TikTok, Microsoft …

EU calls out Twitter for incomplete disinformation report
1 year, 11 months ago

EU calls out Twitter for incomplete disinformation report

Associated Press  

LONDON — Twitter failed to provide a full report to the European Union on its efforts to combat online disinformation, drawing a rebuke Thursday from top officials of the 27-nation bloc. The company signed up to the EU’s voluntary 2022 Code of Practice on Disinformation last year — before billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk bought the social media platform. Google, …

In Xi's China, even internal reports fall prey to censorship
2 years, 2 months ago

In Xi's China, even internal reports fall prey to censorship

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Communist Party calls internal reporting …

Facebook takes down Russian network impersonating European news outlets
2 years, 3 months ago

Facebook takes down Russian network impersonating European news outlets

NPR  

Facebook takes down Russian network impersonating European news outlets Enlarge this image toggle caption Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Facebook parent Meta says it has disrupted a large Russian network of fake accounts impersonating European news outlets to push a pro-Kremlin view of the war in Ukraine. Sponsor Message Russia campaign targeted European support for Ukraine Meta said the …

European Union reaches landmark deal on hate speech, disinformation
2 years, 8 months ago

European Union reaches landmark deal on hate speech, disinformation

The Hindu  

The European Union reached a landmark deal on April 23 to take aim at hate speech, disinformation and other harmful content online that would force big tech companies to police themselves harder, make it easier for users to flag problems and empower regulators to punish noncompliance with billions in fines. EU officials finally clinched the agreement in principle in the …

EU law targets Big Tech over hate speech, disinformation
2 years, 8 months ago

EU law targets Big Tech over hate speech, disinformation

NPR  

EU law targets Big Tech over hate speech, disinformation Enlarge this image toggle caption Michel Euler/AP Michel Euler/AP BRUSSELS — Big tech companies like Google and Facebook parent Meta will have to police their platforms more strictly to better protect European users from hate speech, disinformation and other harmful online content under landmark EU legislation approved early Saturday. Sponsor Message …

Twitter files lawsuit against German online reporting rule
2 years, 11 months ago

Twitter files lawsuit against German online reporting rule

The Hindu  

Twitter has taken legal action against a rule, coming into force in Germany from Tuesday, that obliges social media firms to block or delete criminal content quickly and report particularly serious criminal offences to the police, a German court confirmed on Monday. The lawsuit filed at the administrative court in Cologne challenges a provision under Germany's expanded anti-hate speech regulations …

Beefed up EU tech rules could be global standard, says Facebook whistleblower
3 years, 2 months ago

Beefed up EU tech rules could be global standard, says Facebook whistleblower

The Hindu  

Europe's draft rules requiring tech firms to do more to tackle illegal online content could become a global gold standard for a safer online world if they are beefed up, Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told EU lawmakers on Monday. Haugen, a former Facebook employee who worked as a product manager on the company's civic misinformation team, has accused the social …

Facebook grilled by UK lawmakers making online safety rules
3 years, 2 months ago

Facebook grilled by UK lawmakers making online safety rules

Associated Press  

LONDON — British lawmakers grilled Facebook on Thursday over how it handles online safety as European countries move to rein in the power of social media companies. Facebook’s head of safety said the tech giant supports regulation and has no business interest in providing people with an “unsafe experience.” Representatives from Google, Twitter and TikTok also answered questions from a …

'Where does the buck stop?': UK lawmakers grill Facebook over online safety
3 years, 2 months ago

'Where does the buck stop?': UK lawmakers grill Facebook over online safety

Firstpost  

Representatives from Google, Twitter and TikTok also will be questioned by members of a parliamentary committee scrutinizing the British government’s draft online safety legislation London: British lawmakers grilled Facebook on Thursday over how it handles online safety as European countries move to rein in the power of social media companies, with the tech giant’s head of safety saying the company …

Facebook, Google, Twitter face grilling by U.K. lawmakers
3 years, 2 months ago

Facebook, Google, Twitter face grilling by U.K. lawmakers

The Hindu  

British lawmakers are set to grill Facebook and other tech giants Thursday over how they handle online safety as European efforts to regulate social media companies gain momentum. They provided little firm commitment for U.S. legislation bolstering protection of children from online harm, which lawmakers say ranges from eating disorders, sexually explicit content and material promoting addictive drugs. Facebook whistleblower …

Facebook, Google, Twitter face grilling by UK lawmakers
3 years, 2 months ago

Facebook, Google, Twitter face grilling by UK lawmakers

India TV News  

British lawmakers are set to grill Facebook and other tech giants Thursday over how they handle online safety as European efforts to regulate social media companies gain momentum. Representatives from Facebook, Google, Twitter, and TikTok will be questioned by members of a parliamentary committee scrutinizing the British government’s draft online safety legislation. Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen appeared before the U.K. …

Opinion: Fighting vaccine disinformation is crucial to ending the pandemic
3 years, 4 months ago

Opinion: Fighting vaccine disinformation is crucial to ending the pandemic

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Ann M. Ravel is the Digital Deception Project director at MapLight and previously served as chair of the Federal Election Commission. According to its policy, YouTube prohibits “content that spreads medical misinformation that contradicts local health authorities’ or the World Health Organization’s medical information about COVID-19.” While these short suspensions are grabbing headlines, they’re also obscuring the larger …

Biden: Social media platforms ‘killing people’ with misinformation
3 years, 5 months ago

Biden: Social media platforms ‘killing people’ with misinformation

India TV News  

President Joe Biden said Friday that social media companies are “killing people” by failing to police misinformation on their platforms about COVID-19 vaccines. Biden, when asked if he had a message for platforms like Facebook where false or misleading information about the coronavirus vaccines has spread, told reporters, “They’re killing people.” “The only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated,” …

Biden: Social media ‘killing people’ with COVID misinformation
3 years, 5 months ago

Biden: Social media ‘killing people’ with COVID misinformation

Al Jazeera  

Misinformation about the virus and vaccines has spread on platforms including Facebook and Twitter. President Joe Biden has said that social media companies are “killing people” by failing to police misinformation on their platforms about COVID-19 vaccines. “Misinformation poses an imminent and insidious threat to our nation’s health,” Murthy said during remarks on Thursday at the White House. Lives are …

US steps up fight against COVID-19 misinformation
3 years, 5 months ago

US steps up fight against COVID-19 misinformation

Al Jazeera  

The effort comes as the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations has slowed throughout the US, due in part to false claims. US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Thursday called for a national effort to fight misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines, urging tech companies, health care workers, journalists and everyday Americans to do more to address a problem “that cost us lives”. …

EU wants more from Big Tech against disinformation
3 years, 7 months ago

EU wants more from Big Tech against disinformation

The Hindu  

The EU on Wednesday tasked tech giants such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok to do more against disinformation and provide much better access to their algorithms as well as beef up fact-checking. European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said the stricter and more detailed code of conduct was necessary to better root out “systemic risks” on platforms. Among the many …

EU beefs up disinformation code to prevent digital ad profit
3 years, 7 months ago

EU beefs up disinformation code to prevent digital ad profit

Associated Press  

LONDON — European Union officials unveiled plans Wednesday to beef up the bloc’s code of practice on online disinformation, with the aim of preventing digital ad companies from profiting off of “fake news.” EU officials said they were strengthening the three-year-old voluntary code to make it more effective at fighting the false information flooding tech platforms. “We want to cut …

France hit by mystery campaign to discredit Pfizer
3 years, 7 months ago

France hit by mystery campaign to discredit Pfizer

India Today  

French media and social networks were abuzz Tuesday with speculation about a mysterious offer to influencers and YouTube personalities asking them to publicly denigrate the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in return for money. Those targeted by the campaign, who are active in the health and science fields, said they had received an email from an apparently UK-based communications agency offering them …

Coronavirus conspiracies boom on Facebook, snapshot report shows
3 years, 7 months ago

Coronavirus conspiracies boom on Facebook, snapshot report shows

Dutch News  

A new report by counter-extremism think tank Institute for Strategic Dialogue suggests there has been a 63% increase in the number of Dutch coronavirus misinformation communities on Facebook in the past six months. ‘Even in this short analysis, notable cases of misleading Covid content were found posted first on Twitter/Bitchute/Telegram and then seeded among large communities on Facebook where they …

Govt asks Twitter, other social media platforms to remove misleading posts around COVID
3 years, 8 months ago

Govt asks Twitter, other social media platforms to remove misleading posts around COVID

India TV News  

The government has asked social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, to remove content and posts that were found to be spreading misinformation and public panic around the pandemic, according to sources. Twitter said it has notified the impacted account holders of its action taken in response to a legal request from the Indian government but did not give details …

Opinion: The consequences will be deadly if we don’t fight vaccine misinformation
3 years, 8 months ago

Opinion: The consequences will be deadly if we don’t fight vaccine misinformation

CNN  

Editor’s Note: K. “Vish” Viswanath, PhD, is director of the Harvard T.H. But a large number of people had already refused the vaccines outright or adopted a wait-and-see approach early on in the pandemic due to misinformation or disinformation they saw on social media platforms. That’s why social media companies must do more to combat vaccine misinformation and disinformation. Social …

Facebook to label all posts about coronavirus vaccines
3 years, 9 months ago

Facebook to label all posts about coronavirus vaccines

ABC  

Facebook, which has been criticised by politicians and researchers for allowing vaccine misinformation to spread on its platforms, said it has started adding labels to posts that discuss the safety of the shots and will soon label all posts about the vaccines. The social media company said in a blog post it is also launching a tool in the United …

Defying rules, anti-vaccine accounts thrive on social media
3 years, 9 months ago

Defying rules, anti-vaccine accounts thrive on social media

Associated Press  

With vaccination against COVID-19 in full swing, social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter say they’ve stepped up their fight against misinformation that aims to undermine trust in the vaccines. “It’s a hard situation because we have let this go for so long,” said Jeanine Guidry, an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University who studies social media and health information. …

The battle to stop the spread of vaccine misinformation online
3 years, 9 months ago

The battle to stop the spread of vaccine misinformation online

Al Jazeera  

The rollout of coronavirus vaccines has presented new challenges to social media websites and groups fighting online misinformation. The group has also launched programmes like Don’t Spread the Virus, endorsed by the United Kingdom government, to help online users counter “the scourge of misinformation on coronavirus online”. Facebook bans vaccine misinformation Health officials have long criticised social media sites for …

Twitter to permanently ban users who spread COVID misinformation
3 years, 10 months ago

Twitter to permanently ban users who spread COVID misinformation

Al Jazeera  

The social media firm says users who continue to post misleading tweets about coronavirus vaccines face a permanent ban from its platform. Twitter says it will start labelling misleading tweets about COVID vaccines and ban users who continue to spread such misinformation. The social media company late last year began calling on users to remove dangerously misleading COVID-19 claims, including …

Facebook to temporarily reduce political content
3 years, 10 months ago

Facebook to temporarily reduce political content

The Hindu  

Facebook Inc said on Wednesday it would temporarily reduce political content appearing on News Feeds for some users in Canada, Brazil and Indonesia this week and in the United States within the coming weeks. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said in January that he wanted to "turn down the temperature" of political conversations on the social networking site because "people …

Twitter To Remove Or Place Warning Labels On COVID Vaccine Conspiracy Tweets
4 years ago

Twitter To Remove Or Place Warning Labels On COVID Vaccine Conspiracy Tweets

NPR  

Twitter To Remove Or Place Warning Labels On COVID Vaccine Conspiracy Tweets Enlarge this image toggle caption NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images Debunked claims about COVID-19 vaccinations will be swiftly removed from Twitter starting next week, the company announced on Wednesday. And moving into 2021, officials said, the company may start placing labels or warnings on messages …

Facebook, Twitter face British fines if they fail on removing harmful content
4 years ago

Facebook, Twitter face British fines if they fail on removing harmful content

The Hindu  

Facebook, Twitter and TikTok face fines of up to 10% of turnover if they fail to remove and limit the spread of illegal content under laws proposed by Britain on Tuesday. “We are entering a new age of accountability for tech to protect children and vulnerable users, to restore trust in this industry, and to enshrine in law safeguards for …

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