Content crackdown

Facebook and Instagram face EU probes in content crackdown

Meta’s handling of political ads may be a focus ahead of the EU election in June.

BY CLOTHILDE GOUJARD AND AOIFE WHITE

Facebook and Instagram will get European Union investigations into potential infringements of content-moderation rules as soon as today, four people told POLITICO.

The probes are likely to target a range of issues including Meta's handling of ads, especially political ads, to examine suspected breaches of the Digital Services Act (DSA), said the people who were granted anonymity to discuss a confidential procedure.

POLITICO reported this month that a Russian campaign to influence the European Parliament in June is thriving on Facebook, pushing pro-Kremlin narratives with ads purchased via fake accounts.

Platforms like Facebook were asked to ensure that political ads and AI deepfakes are clearly labeled under the DSA ahead of the election.

Hundreds of millions of Europeans will go to the polls on June 6-9 to elect new Parliament representatives, who will set the bloc’s agenda for the next five years. EU governments are worried about a surge in Russian meddling that could sway voters’ opinions. A French minister even warned that the country was "overwhelmed with propaganda."

But Meta has also been quizzed by regulators for months over other issues such as how it tackles illegal or harmful videos uploaded by users to its social media sites to more general concerns over disinformation and how young people use the company's digital services.

The Commission asked Meta to respond in October about material linked to Hamas' attack on Israel and in November sought information on election integrity. In December it asked the company about mental and physical health concerns about how minors used its services and also about its algorithm and sexual images of minors.

Just last month the EU asked for information about algorithms, deepfakes, Meta's new ad-free subscription model, its Threads app and how it limits the visibility of some accounts or posts, known as shadow banning.

Meta spokesperson Ben Walters said the company has “a well-established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms.”

“We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work,” he said.

The EU executive supervises how large online platforms comply with digital rules that require them to curb illegal and harmful content such as disinformation under the DSA. Companies risk orders to suspend some features or fines of up to 6 percent of their global revenues.

The investigations would make Meta the third company targeted by DSA probes. Regulators have been powering up its new tool against problematic online content, already starting other investigations into TikTok, X and AliExpress.

Meta is separately suing the European Commission over a levy it must pay to bankroll the DSA's enforcement. Meta said it's paying €11 million for 2024, nearly a quarter of what the EU said it needs.