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The war against disinformation is being lost in Europe. On the eastern front, China and Russia are making hoaxes on COVID-19 and manipulating legislative processes. And on the western front, to some large technology entities, such as Facebook and Google or Amazon, that do not filter these hoaxes.

In an effort to reveal an increasingly difficult situation, the European Commission has asked platforms such as Facebook, Google and Twitter to provide evidence each month of their efforts against disinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic, so that can better catalog the contingency of Russia and China.

The seriousness of the matter has led Brussels to also request the cooperation of NATO and the G7, as contained in the plan unveiled by the EU's high representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, and the EU Vice President for Values ​​and Transparency, Vera Jourová.

"In times of the coronavirus, disinformation can kill. We have a duty to protect our citizens by sensitizing them to the existence of false information and to point out the actors responsible for these practices," Borrell told a press conference, according to EFE.

More disinformation on the Internet

The Commission has a fairly clear position on the role of fake news and disinformation on the Internet: it is somewhat encouraged by "foreign" actors and seeks to influence national debates in the EU, based on "the most basic anxieties of citizens" .

Brussels has held the platforms responsible for taking care that these messages do not spread massively. Facebook, Twitter, Google and other major technology companies must send monthly reports with detailed data on the actions taken to promote content from authorized sources, increase user awareness and limit disinformation about the coronavirus and all associated advertising.

They should also intensify cooperation with the authorities that verify the data in all the Member States and with researchers, although at the moment there is no further regulation of this type of company. What they are looking for from Europe is greater transparency.

"They have to give us more so that we can see that the measures work. We want more transparency (...) that they regularly inform us of the efforts against disinformation on COVID-19," he explained in a statement to an international media group on Tuesday. including Efe, Jourová.

The EC appreciates the efforts of platforms such as Twitter, which in February launched a new alert service, which appears prominently when searching for information about the coronavirus, showing firstly accurate and authorized information, as well as Facebook - owner of Instagram and Whatsapp - proposed by the WHO website. Despite the progress, "much remains to be done," according to Jourová.

In the monthly reports Brussels wants data on the nature of the disinformation, the size, the target audience and other details, the commissioner said.

The document published today reviews the measures taken to date in the fight against disinformation and the lessons learned from the coronavirus crisis.

To prevent these messages from reaching the citizens, the European Commission advocates collaborating with civil society, increasing vigilance and supporting the media, which "are at the forefront of the fight against disinformation," said Jourová.

RUSSIA AND CHINA, ORIGIN OF DISINFORMATION

Russia and China are behind many of the hoaxes, disinformation and other forms of news manipulation and distortions that are spreading during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report by the EU special unit that monitors that phenomenon.

"We clearly mention Russia and China and we have enough evidence for this," Jourová said.

There are also "national actors" that participate in the dissemination of this information, different extremist groups, political forces with nationalist programs, groups with the intention of creating distortion and violence.

It is not easy to follow them and sometimes it is not possible to get to their origin, "so we want more information from the platforms and we ask for more transparency," said Jourová.

The proposed actions are part of the EU's future work on disinformation, in particular the European Plan for Democratic Action and the Digital Services Act, which Brussels will present this year.

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  • China
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  • Google
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  • European Comission
  • NATO
  • Europe
  • Microsoft
  • Josep Borrell
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