EU’s Focus on Combating Disinformation
Meeting Between EU Vice President and YouTube CEO
When European Union vice president Věra Jourová met with YouTube CEO Neal Mohan in California last week, they discussed the long-standing conspiracy theory that the moon landings were fake. YouTube has faced calls from some users and advocacy groups to remove videos that question the historic missions. Like other videos denying accepted science, they have been directing viewers to debunking context.
Jourová’s Stance on Priorities
But as Mohan spoke about those measures, Jourová made something clear: Fighting lunar lunatics or flat-earthers shouldn’t be a priority.
“If the people want to believe it, let them do,” she said.
As the official charged with protecting Europe’s democratic values, she thinks it’s more important to make sure YouTube and other big platforms don’t spare a euro that could be invested in ensuring the integrity of democratic processes.
Upcoming Elections and Disinformation
Global Election Landscape
More than 60 countries are holding elections in 2024. Throughout the year, platforms like YouTube are required to take steps to combat disinformation or risk fines up to 6 percent of their global sales.
Concerns Over Censorship
Civil liberties activists have been concerned that the DSA ultimately could enable censorship by the bloc’s more authoritarian regimes. A strong showing by far-right candidates in the EU’s parliamentary elections taking place later this week also could lead to its uneven enforcement.
YouTube’s Commitment
YouTube spokesperson Nicole Bell says the company is aligned with Jourová on preventing egregious real-world harm and also removing content that misleads voters on how to vote or encourages interference in the democratic processes.
“Our teams will continue to work around the clock,” Bell says of monitoring problematic videos about this week’s EU elections.
Deepfakes and Disinformation
Impact of Deepfakes
Jourová, who expects her five-year term to end later this year, noted that some audio deepfakes on the eve of the vote targeted a pro-Ukraine candidate who lost a bid to run the country to a pro-Russian opponent. The Zero Byte has cataloged so far about 50 cases of deepfakes.
Attribution to Russia
Western governments and researchers have attributed some of the deepfake surge to Russia. But though Jourová is concerned about the alleged interference, she also takes it as evidence that democracy is working. There aren’t enough fellow autocrats in Europe for Putin to call up to win favor with the EU, she reasons, and so instead, he has to seed lies and hope they sway electorates towards installing leaders who support him. That’s an expensive strategy for a country in economic straits, Jourová says, and she anticipates it becoming more expensive still for the Kremlin if tech platforms successfully crack down on disinformation.
Transparency and Compliance
DSA Measures
The DSA includes measures aimed at making it clear to officials and the public what action platforms are taking. Companies are required to share data and commentaries on their work on limiting disinformation such as political deepfakes. So far, the platforms’ compliance under that provision of both the DSA and the EU’s related voluntary Code of Practice on Disinformation has been variable, making it difficult to draw comparisons to assemble an overall picture of harmful untruths across the internet.
Platform Reporting
YouTube has told the EU that in the second half of last year 112 deepfake videos each received over 10,000 views before being taken down. By contrast, Meta offered no comparable data and declined to comment to The Zero Byte on its different approach to reporting.
Future Outlook
“It’s a bit still moving in the darkness,” Jourová says of monitoring compliance. But she insists that will change.
“Comparable data in a structured way” is the goal, she says. Or else big fines—and the crippling of democracy—could follow.
Additional reporting by Morgan Meaker.
3 Comments
Are people still debating the moon landing in 2023?
Imagine still questioning the moon landing when we have rovers on Mars!
Guess some folks can’t resist a good conspiracy theory!