New EU guidelines target tech giants on disinformation

Big tech firms including Facebook and Google will have to commit not to make money from advertising linked to disinformation under new EU guidelines released Wednesday (May 26).

Concerns about the impact of disinformation have intensified during the health crisis, and after claims about election fraud in the U.S., with some critics pointing to the role of social media and tech giants in spreading it.

EU industry chief Thierry Breton said in a statement, quote:

"Disinformation cannot remain a source of revenue. We need to see stronger commitments by online platforms, the entire advertising ecosystem and networks of fact-checkers."

Signatories to the code include Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Mozilla and TikTok.

As well as some advertising and tech lobbying groups.

The EU expects signatories to come up with details of how they aim to comply with the updated guidelines by the end of 2021, and to implement them by early next year.

In a response, Facebook said it supported the Commission's focus on transparency and collaboration.

Twitter said it supported a wider look at the information ecosystem.