EU Boss Warns Meta’s Zuckerberg Over ‘Surge of Disinformation’ About Hamas Attacks on Israel, Demands Answers About Election-Related Deepfakes

variety.com:

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor It’s not just X/Twitter: The European Union also has put Meta on notice about the urgent need to address a flood of misinformation about the Israel-Hamas conflict to remain in compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act.

In an Oct. 11 letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, European Union commissioner Thierry Breton did not specifically accuse Meta of hosting “illegal content and disinformation” on its platforms, but he asked the CEO “to be very vigilant to ensure strict compliance with the DSA rules on terms of service, on the requirement of timely, diligent and objective action following notices of illegal content in the EU, and on the need for proportionate and effective mitigation measures.” He set a 24-hour deadline for Meta to respond to the request.

Breton also told Zuckerberg that “we have also been made aware of reports of a significant number of deepfakes and manipulated content which circulated on your platforms and a few still appear online” ahead of recent elections in Slovakia. “I remind you that the DSA requires that the risk of amplification of fake and manipulated images and facts generated with the intention to influence elections is taken extremely seriously in the context of mitigation measures,” Breton wrote.

Breton’s saber-rattling toward Meta comes a day after he delivered a similar warning to Elon Musk over “illegal content and disinformation” about the Israel-Hamas war on X (aka Twitter), giving him 24 hours to respond.