EU probe targets Facebook and Instagram as Russian disinformation surges

The European Commission has directed Meta to a formal investigation to assess whether it is doing enough to moderate political content, illegal content and misinformation on Facebook and Instagram. The probe appears in the middle an increase in pro-Russian propaganda online in the run-up to the EU elections in early June.

On a press release on Tuesday, the European Commission says Meta may have breached its obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA), a set of EU rules that aim to protect users by promoting safer online environments. Potential violations being investigated encompass Meta’s approach to combating disinformation campaigns and “coordinated inauthentic behavior” in the EU, along with the lack of effective third-party tools to monitor elections and civic discourse in real time – with particular concern that Meta is disparaging CrowdTangle without a suitable replacement.

Concerns about electoral monitoring follow a appeal to EU political leaders combat “with urgency and vigor” Russia’s attempts to interfere in democratic processes across the bloc. According to the French Minister for European Affairs, Jean-Noel Barrot, almost all EU countries are being targeted by Russian propaganda ahead of the European elections which will begin on June 6th.

Alongside the announcement of the investigation, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said:

This Commission has created means to protect European citizens from targeted disinformation and manipulation by third countries. If we suspect a violation of the rules, we take action. This is always true, but especially in times of democratic elections. Large digital platforms must comply with their obligations to provide sufficient resources for this and today’s decision shows that we take compliance seriously. Protecting our democracies is a common struggle with our Member States.

The investigation will also evaluate how Meta moderates misleading advertising, policies that reduce the visibility of political content on Instagram and Facebook, and the sufficiency of mechanisms that allow users to flag illegal content.

“If we cannot be sure that we can trust the content we see online, there is a risk that we will end up not believing anything,” said EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager. “Misleading advertising is a risk to our online debate and, ultimately, to our rights as consumers and citizens.”

The European Commission has not set a deadline for the investigation. If Meta violates the DSA and fails to resolve the issues, it could face fines of up to 6% of its annual revenue.