Meta, Google, Twitter and Microsoft are just some of the major tech companies that have signed up to new guidance by the European Commission on tackling disinformation and fake news.

Published today (16 June), the Code of Practice on Disinformation 2022 is the EU’s latest push to crack down on fake news content on the internet following from lessons learnt during the past two years with the pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine.

“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,” Commission VP for values and transparency Věra Jourová.

“We now have very significant commitments to reduce the impact of disinformation online and much more robust tools to measure how these are implemented across the EU in all countries and in all its languages.”

The new #CodeOfPractice on Disinformation is here!

With 34 signatories, the new Code will help make our online space more:
transparent
safe
trustworthy

+ taking into account the lessons learnt from the #COVID19 crisis & Russia’s war in Ukraine

https://t.co/jwrG1FRA0Q pic.twitter.com/tHcEPL69tf

— Digital EU (@DigitalEU) June 16, 2022

Jourová added that following the new code would mean users will have access to “better tools to flag disinformation and understand what they are seeing” as well as reduce financial incentives for disseminating disinformation and allow researchers to access to platforms’ data more easily.

Big tech companies with large platforms that repeatedly break the code and do not carry out risk mitigation measures may be fined up to 6pc of their global turnover.

The reinforced code builds on the first Code of Practice published in 2018, which was also widely signed by Big Tech, platforms and civil society and seen as a setting a global standard in disinformation guidelines.

The latest code currently has 34 signatories, including Meta, Google, Twitter and TikTok, smaller platforms, online ad companies, fact-checkers and organisations working in the area of tackling fake news.

“Disinformation is a form of invasion of our digital space, with tangible impact on our daily lives. Online platforms need to act much strongly, especially on the issue of funding,” said EU commissioner for the internal market Thierry Breton. “Spreading disinformation should not bring a single euro to anyone.”

The new codes comes as the European Parliament voted to approve the Digital Services Act (DSA) today, a day after the European Council approved it.

Breton said that in order for the code to be credible, the new code of practice on disinformation “will be backed up by the DSA, including for heavy dissuasive sanctions” such as the 6pc fine on their global turnover.

Meta global affairs president Nick Clegg, the former UK deputy prime minister who was recently promoted by founder Mark Zuckerberg, tweeted to express his delight at the new code.

“Combating the spread of [misinformation] is a complex and evolving societal issue. We continue to invest heavily in teams and technology, and we look forward to more collaboration to address it together,” he wrote.

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