The 27 European ministers in charge of digital issues are asking the web giants to adopt additional measures to ensure that cyberspace does not become a privileged zone for online hate and disinformation.
On Tuesday, March 8, 2022, the 27 European ministers in charge of digital affairs met in an informal meeting with representatives of Facebook, Twitter and Google in Paris. On this occasion, they signed a joint declaration to ask the major platforms to “strengthen the fight against online disinformation in the context of the war in Ukraine”.
A call to strengthen measures against disinformation
Representatives from Norway and Switzerland were also present at the meeting. Exchanges in the margin of the Russian invasion and the war that is taking place a few hundred kilometers from Paris. A “joint declaration” was issued. The ministers in charge of digital called on social networks and more generally the major platforms, to better fight against disinformation and strengthen the measures traditionally taken.
Cedric O, Secretary of State for Digital Transition and Electronic Communications in France, took the floor to detail the contours of this declaration. After an “extremely frank and animated” discussion, in the words of the French minister, the companies involved are “called upon to mobilize additional resources to oversee moderation in conflict zones.” The French minister also calls on the web giants to adopt additional measures to ensure that cyberspace does not become a privileged zone for online hate and disinformation.
The European Union demands more moderators and more speed
In the current context, social networks are required to prioritize reliable and recognized sources of information, as well as “real-time information sharing of useful data for cooperation with academia and research.” The 27 European ministers in charge of digital also ask platforms to respond more quickly to requests made by governments, when fake accounts are detected. They will also have to have moderators in all languages spoken in the European Union.
According to Cedric O, “misinformation does not only concern large markets”. He said that we are not in a normal period and that platforms are now required to achieve results. The Minister also insisted on the importance of the DSA and the DMA with the major platforms. The DSA will, for example, allow all countries to know the number of moderators hired by the platforms. This text should be voted in the coming weeks.