The EU Is Pushing Big Tech to Crackdown on Deepfakes and Disinformation

Big tech companies are getting kicked in the keister if they don't sort out the mess of misinformation on their platforms.

The European Commission will release new rules on Thursday that will require tech companies to deal with fake information on their platforms, according to a report. The new rules will require companies to give information that can be used to fight online fraud. According to a leaked document, fines could be as high as 6 percent of global turnover. Those who don't play ball will be hit with a financial hit.

The Digital Services Act, which is already in the process of becoming law, is part of the EU's efforts to restrain tech giants. According to a piece of the document provided by reporters, there needs to be clear policies regarding impermissible manipulative behaviours. Co-regulatory means that responsibility is shared between the regulators and the companies.

There is a voluntary code on the books that companies are asked to use to fight misinformation. The code was signed by a number of companies.

According to the EU Commissioner for Internal Market, the DSA is intended to provide a legal back ground to the codes of practices.

Several years out of date are some of the previous commitments. Links that have become dead at the time of reporting are included in the signature forms. In the years after those reports, the EU conducted self-assessment reviews and found that some companies fell behind in their pledges. The commission wanted to have a structured monitoring program in place by September 2020.

From the last few years, it is clear that the issue of fake accounts is still a big problem. The leaked documents show that the company did not do enough to prevent the spread of misinformation that led to the January 6 insurrection. The company promised to do better in the past. It is not clear how much of a role they played in the storming of the Capitol, but they are still playing a game of wack-a-mole to deal with the fake information being spread on their platform.

The new regulations will help countries counter misinformation coming from Russia, according to commission VP Vra Jourov.

Companies have six months to put in place their anti-disinformation measures. They will have to explain how bung information is being spread on their websites.

Gizmodo did not get a response from Meta or Twitter.

Deepfakes, which are an ongoing problem on social media, and have been used in scam and spam alike, are mentioned in reporting. There are limits to the technology, and some research has questioned how effective they are in persuading people over more mundane scam. Reports show that misinformation is still pervasive on practically all platforms.