European Commission acknowledged Internet-platform’s though measures against disinformation had effect

The European Commission acknowledged the progress made by the Facebook, Google and Twitter Internet platforms in fulfilling its commitments to improve transparency and information security ahead of European parliament elections. On May 17th, the European Commission made public the reports and analysis of the progress made in April implementing the Code of Practice against disinformation, as to Ukrinform. In the report, the European Commission recognized the efficiency of "tough measures" in countering attempts to manipulate information. "We recognise the continued progress made by Facebook, Google and Twitter on their commitments to increase transparency and protect the integrity of the upcoming elections. We welcome the robust measures that all three platforms have taken against manipulative behaviour on their services, including coordinated disinformation operations” At the same time, The European Commission emphasized that further efforts are needed for services provided by platforms, in particular, in the field of advertising. “However, more needs to be done to strengthen the integrity of their services, including advertising services. Moreover, the data provided still lacks the level of detail necessary to allow for an independent and accurate assessment of how the platforms' policies have actually contributed to reducing the spread of disinformation in the EU”. “Looking beyond the European elections, all signatories should now step up their efforts to broaden cooperation with fact checkers in all Member States as well as to empower users and the research community. In particular, online platforms need to put in practice their broader set of commitments under the Code of Practice, notably by engaging with traditional media to develop transparency and trustworthiness indicators for information sources so that users are offered a fair choice of relevant, verified information”, the document said. IMI informed, on January 2019, the European Commission published today the first reports submitted by signatories of the Code of Practice against disinformation signed in October 2018. While the Commission welcomes the progress made, it also calls on signatories to intensify their efforts in the run up to the 2019 EU elections. Today, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Mozilla and the trade associations representing the advertising sector have submitted their first reports on the measures they are taking to comply with the Code of Practice on Disinformation. There has been some progress, notably in removing fake accounts and limiting the visibility of sites that promote disinformation. However, additional action is needed to ensure full transparency of political ads by the start of the campaign for the European elections in all EU Member States, to allow appropriate access to platforms’ data for research purposes, and to ensure proper cooperation between the platforms and individual Member States through contact points in the Rapid Alert System.