Big Tech Cos Sign Up To EU’s Rulebook On Online Disinformation

Big tech companies including Meta, Microsoft, Google, Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok have signed up to a new EU rulebook for tackling online disinformation.

EU executive commission updated its voluntary code that has introduced sweeping rules to fight spread of misinformation. The update comes as the European leader stands alarmed in the backdrop of the pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Big tech players such as Google, Meta, Twitter, Microsoft, and TikTok have signed up to abide with the rules. While Amazon, Apple, and telegram are yet to join the cohort.

“This new anti-disinformation Code comes at a time when Russia is weaponising disinformation as part of its military aggression against Ukraine, but also when we see attacks on democracy more broadly,” said the Commission’s vice president for values and transparency, Věra Jourová, in a press statement.

This code also introduces measures to prevent ads from being posted next to fake news. Such a code can prevent such material to be used for monetization.