The European Union announced on Tuesday that it is looking into Facebook and Instagram for alleged breaches of the bloc’s online rulebook, including failing to adequately safeguard users from unauthorized access to EU-wide elections.
The European Commission, the executive branch of the EU, announced it was starting formal legal proceedings to determine whether parent firm Meta Platforms broke the Digital Services Act, a comprehensive set of rules designed to safeguard web users and clear up social media platforms under the threat of severe fines of up to 6 % of monthly income.
In light of formal warnings that Russia is attempting to interfere in the June elections, in which the bloc’s 27 countries elect members of parliament, European authorities are scrambling to protect elections.
Officials expressed concern that Meta’s content restraint system for advertisements was insufficient, allowing nefarious foreign actors to monetize advertisements made with deepfakes while stealing money from them.
