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Recently, the European Commission has taken action by formally requesting explanations from both Meta and TikTok regarding their efforts to combat fake news surrounding the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel on their social media platforms. The EU is specifically interested in ensuring that these companies are in compliance with moderation rules established under the Digital Services Act.
According to reports from the Associated Press, the Commission has given Meta and TikTok a one-week deadline to respond to inquiries. Failure to comply with the Commission's requests could result in follow-up investigations and potential fines of up to six percent of a company's global revenue. In response to this scrutiny, TikTok recently announced that it would be increasing supervision of information shared about the conflict, while Meta has stated that they have established protocols for addressing such situations.
In addition to addressing fake news related to the Hamas-Israel conflict, both TikTok and Meta have been asked to clarify their policies regarding illegal content targeting minors and safeguarding the integrity of elections. The deadline for providing this information is set for November 8, after which the European Commission reserves the right to initiate formal investigations and levy fines for non-compliance.
This is not the first time that the European Commission has taken action against tech companies for failing to meet regulatory standards. Previously, European Commissioner Thierry Breton made a similar request to X company, resulting in an official investigation. In a separate instance, Breton publicly addressed Elon Musk in an open letter, prompting the EC to launch an investigation into the platform in question. In the cases of TikTok and Meta, initial requests for information were sent out in early October, followed by additional inquiries conducted behind closed doors.
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