The European Commission will release new guidelines for publishing disinformation on Thursday. This reports Reuters news agency based on insiders and a viewed EU document. Large tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter will have to take measures to counter deepfakes and fake accounts on their platforms. If they fail to do so, they risk heavy fines. The new rules are part of the EU's approach to countering fake news.
The new disinformation directive replaces the current "voluntary code," which was introduced in 2018. In its place will now be a co-regulatory system, with regulators and code signatories sharing responsibility. The updated code will be linked to the stringent new EU rules known as the Digital Services Act (DSA). This Act was approved by all 27 EU countries earlier this year. It includes a section on combating disinformation. "The DSA forms a legal backbone of the Code of Practice against disinformation - including tough deterrent sanctions," said European Commissioner Thierry Breton in a statement to Reuters.
Tech companies are required by the new rules to "adopt, strengthen and implement clear policies regarding unauthorized manipulative behavior" on their platforms. These policies must be based on the behaviors and tactics used by malicious actors.
Companies that fail to meet their obligations under the new rules can expect to be fined under the DSA rules. This fine could amount to as much as six percent of the company's global turnover. The companies will have to take steps to address, for example, disinformation advertising and provide more transparency about political advertising. After signing the amended guidelines, they will have six months to do so.
The new rules list examples of manipulative behavior. These include deepfakes and fake accounts, which tech companies will have to address. Deepfakes are pieces of media, such as a video or audio message, where it appears that a particular person is saying or doing something. In reality, these are hyper-realistic fakes. Because the quality of deepfake videos keeps improving, in some cases the images are indistinguishable from the real thing.
European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová says the war in Ukraine supports some of the changes to the guidelines. "Once the code is operational, we will be better prepared to tackle disinformation, including from Russia," Jourová said in a statement. Russia is using deepfakes for propaganda purposes in its war with Ukraine, among other things.
