EU to act against fake accounts and false news

The EU is preparing to take action against the spread of fake accounts and false news by ordering social media companies to impose stricter measures or companies may face the risk of paying hefty fines.

Google, Facebook/Meta, Twitter, and other technology companies will be required to show they are taking measures to stamp out fake news on their platforms under an updated EU code of practice.

More than 30 signatories including advertising bodies have committed to the updated Code of Practice on disinformation, the European Commission said.

The signatories agree to do more to tackle deep fakes, fake accounts and political advertising, while non-compliance can lead to fines as much as 6% of a company’s global turnover, the EU executive said, confirming a Reuters report last week. 

Deepfakes are videos or photos in which a person is replaced with someone else’s likeness using artificial intelligence technology. Synthetic media has caused alarm around the world, particularly when used in a political context.

In effect, companies which fail to meet their obligations under the code risk fines of as much as 6 per cent of their global turnover based on DSA rules. They have six months to put the measures into effect once they have signed up for the code.

“If there is the consistent flouting of the rules, we can also think about stopping their access to our space of information,” EU industry chief Thierry Breton said.

Signatories will also have to take measures to tackle advertising containing disinformation and provide more transparency on political advertising.