The European Commission published today the first reports submitted by signatories of the Code of Practice against disinformation signed in October 2018. The monitoring of the Code of Practice is part of the Action Plan against disinformation that the European Union adopted last December to build up capabilities and strengthen cooperation between Member States and EU institutions to proactively address the threats posed by disinformation.
In particular, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Mozilla and the trade associations representing the advertising sector have submitted their first reports on the measures they are taking to comply with the Code. According to the reports, which cover measures taken by 31 December 2018, online companies’ work is more advanced and comprehensive in some areas, for instance in taking down fake accounts and de-monetising the purveyors of disinformation, but less so in others.
A press release and Questions & Answers are available online. Furthermore, today the European Commission is organising a conference “Countering online disinformation – Towards a more transparent, credible and diverse digital media ecosystem“, which will take stock of the achievements made in tackling online disinformation in Europe and look at the way forward in view of the upcoming European Parliament elections. Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Mariya Gabriel, Members of the European Parliament as well as representatives of the technology community, the industry and the media are participating.
