EU To Probe Meta Over Election Content Handling And Advertising Practices

The European Union is looking to initiate a new investigation into Meta Platforms, focusing on its management of election-related content and advertising. 

The Guardian reported that details of the probe are expected to be released later this week. European officials have expressed concerns about deceptive advertising and the political content on platforms owned by Meta, as the region prepares for parliamentary elections in June.

Additionally, a Financial Times report highlighted worries about potential Russian efforts to disrupt the forthcoming European elections, alongside other foreign interference. If Meta is found in violation of Europe's newly enacted Digital Services Act, it could face substantial penalties.

Another focal point of concern for the EU is Meta's plan to discontinue CrowdTangle, a popular tool among researchers and fact-checkers for analyzing content trends on Facebook and Instagram. Last month, an open letter signed by dozens of researchers and fact-checking organizations warned that shutting down CrowdTangle could pose a "direct threat" to global election integrity efforts. This shutdown is scheduled for August, just as numerous global elections are set to occur.

Meta has responded to the upcoming scrutiny with assurances of its commitment to cooperation. A spokesperson told Engadget, “We have a well-established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work.”

In a separate but related development, the EU is also investigating whether Meta's ad-free subscription service in Europe breaches the Digital Markets Act by failing to offer users a genuine option to opt out of data collection.