Facebook and Instagram face EU probe over Russian disinformation

The European Commission has opened formal investigation proceedings into Meta over its handling of political content, including a suspected Russian influence campaign.

With elections looming in the EU and elsewhere, officials said they would assess whether the company’s approach to moderating disinformation on Facebook and Instagram breached EU law.

Among the Commission’s concerns is Meta’s oversight of its advertising tools, and whether they had been exploited by “malicious actors.”

The probe will also examine whether Meta is being transparent enough over its moderation of political content and accounts.

“We have a well-established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms,” Meta said in a statement.

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

The company is one of several tech firms designated “very large online platforms” (VLOPs) under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

VLOPs face fines of up to 6% of their annual turnover if they do not meet tougher content moderation requirements.

This includes taking action to prevent manipulation of elections and disinformation.

The Commission says it suspects Meta’s current methods for moderating disinformation and political adverts do not comply with DSA obligations.

It is concerned about the impact this may have on the upcoming electoral cycle, with the European Parliament elections taking place in June.

“This Commission has created means to protect European citizens from targeted disinformation and manipulation by third countries,” said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“If we suspect a violation of the rules, we act. This is true at all times, but especially in times of democratic elections.”