Social networking site technology

American businessman Elon Musk canceled his participation in Eurocode last spring, but the former Twitter handle was still online when participants decided to task the independent agency TrustLab with developing a methodology to combat disinformation.

As a pilot project, TrustLab studied the spread and sources of misinformation on six major social platforms (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube) in three member states hosting major national elections this year: Spain, Slovakia, and Poland.

Research now shows that the proportion of messages containing misleading information within the sensitive content category is highest on Twitter (0.428), followed by Facebook (0.313). YouTube (0.082) recorded the lowest percentage. The pilot also found that misinformation spreaders have significantly larger followers than their counterparts.

X remains bound by the new Digital Services Legislation (DSA), which imposes further obligations on very large platforms in the fight against disinformation. Participation in the Code is voluntary, but according to European Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova, the Code must also develop into a real code of conduct that will become part of the regulatory framework.

Jourova, who presented the findings of the latest reports from 44 blog participants on Tuesday, asked platforms to focus specifically on disinformation about the war in Ukraine. For example, Google reported that YouTube shut down more than 400 channels between January and April 2023 that were involved in coordinated influence operations linked to the Russian government-sponsored Internet Research Agency.

For its part, Meta indicated that it has expanded its partnerships with fact-checkers, to include 26 partners who now cover 22 languages ​​in the European Union. TikTok fact check covers Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and 17 European languages. 832 war videos were examined, of which 211 were deleted. Microsoft highlighted that Bing Search promoted reliable information or downgraded questionable information related to nearly 800,000 searches.

Early next year, participants must submit a new report on their efforts under the Code. They must also indicate how they are preparing for the European elections in June. “The code is a useful exercise, but we all have to do more. I ask for the full participation of the platforms to implement their commitments and help maintain the resilience of democracy,” Jourova concluded.

look. At the end of July, the neighborhood complained about the new, brightly lit X logo on the Twitter building