The new rules being implemented regarding misinformation by the EU have really shaken the digital world.
And that’s probably why we’re seeing all the leading tech giants do their best to avoid being penalized by the body.
For starters, Alphabet’s trio that comprises Google, Twitter, and Facebook has been left with no choice but to take stringent measures to fight against misinformation spread. This includes combating all sorts of deepfakes across their platforms. But the race against time is real as these firms are at risk of being forced to pay some major fines by the EU.
The news comes to us as the European Union has updated its practices and unveiled the details in a new document as confirmed by Reuters.
These new guidelines will soon be published, most likely by Thursday, as the body prepares to combat all these reports of fake news.
While the plan was originally brought forward around four years back, we’re finally seeing it pick up the pace as the codes turn into the scheme’s theme for co-regulating leading tech companies.
As you know, the European Commission already has its hands full but this time around, they really mean business and won’t be backing down.
But what exactly are the codes hinting at? Well, there are plenty of rules about what they deem to be deepfakes that the above-mentioned firms need to combat or face the penalty.
This includes adopting and making new policies and changing the ways things work because the body says there is no more room for manipulation of their services.
The term deepfakes is constantly being used throughout their arguments and it’s a word that’s reserved for forgeries that are made by software that signal the alarm when utilized in a political theme.
These codes will also forcibly be connected to the EU’s famous Digital Services Act that was unveiled during the earlier part of this year. This amendment was designed to again help fight against disinformation.
But what happens if a firm fails to oblige to these new rules being outlined? Well, the answer is pretty straightforward. They would face penalties in the form of hefty fines that could entail as much as 6% of each firm’s turnover.
On average, a period of six months will be provided to implement all of these rules, after the firms agree to the codes delineated.
Intermediary advertising firms will also similarly need to play their roles to combat misinformation arising in ads that are displayed across these apps. Moreover, the commission did also reveal how confident it feels that once the codes come into play, they’ll be able to do a much finer job at tackling the major disinformation crisis.
Now the move to combat this problem in Europe has also forced some other leading names to sign up for the latest version of the code against the spread of misinformation. And that’s why we’re seeing Microsoft, TikTok, Meta, Google, and more coming forward and agreeing.
This new document will oversee who is implementing the policies, what the penalties of failing to act could be, and also how they could better deal with misinformation to keep their users safe.
A new report was leaked by the Financial Times that mentioned how these leading social media platforms would remove, eliminate, or fight against harmful content in terms of both advertising and even promotional activities.
To put it simply, no one will now be allowed to get away with false, misleading, and harmful content that does nothing but aggravate disinformation spread.
This move is being looked upon as a maneuver that assists these tech companies in using their own tools to tackle the problem. But at the same time, it provides everyone a fixed set of rules that must be abided by.
Yes, this means the government and associated bodies will be gaining more control over these firms in terms of deciding which news is real and which is fake.
Let’s take a look at the past when Twitter was left with no choice but to block numerous accounts after receiving multiple requests from authorities in India. This was related to the sharing of controversial remarks regarding the nation’s prime minister.
We’re also seeing China and Ukraine do the same, where so many bans are being added to a number of social media platforms, thanks to their own national conflicts.
Other than this, all firms under the new codes will be obliged to send out a breakdown of their country reports and what practices they’re making use of to tackle the issues.
All in all, we feel the new decision is good as it makes you realize how massive of a problem misinformation has become, thanks to the negligence of these leading tech names.
Read next: Corporations Are Hiding Their Carbon Emissions With Bad Math, New Research Reveals
And that’s probably why we’re seeing all the leading tech giants do their best to avoid being penalized by the body.
For starters, Alphabet’s trio that comprises Google, Twitter, and Facebook has been left with no choice but to take stringent measures to fight against misinformation spread. This includes combating all sorts of deepfakes across their platforms. But the race against time is real as these firms are at risk of being forced to pay some major fines by the EU.
The news comes to us as the European Union has updated its practices and unveiled the details in a new document as confirmed by Reuters.
These new guidelines will soon be published, most likely by Thursday, as the body prepares to combat all these reports of fake news.
While the plan was originally brought forward around four years back, we’re finally seeing it pick up the pace as the codes turn into the scheme’s theme for co-regulating leading tech companies.
As you know, the European Commission already has its hands full but this time around, they really mean business and won’t be backing down.
But what exactly are the codes hinting at? Well, there are plenty of rules about what they deem to be deepfakes that the above-mentioned firms need to combat or face the penalty.
This includes adopting and making new policies and changing the ways things work because the body says there is no more room for manipulation of their services.
The term deepfakes is constantly being used throughout their arguments and it’s a word that’s reserved for forgeries that are made by software that signal the alarm when utilized in a political theme.
These codes will also forcibly be connected to the EU’s famous Digital Services Act that was unveiled during the earlier part of this year. This amendment was designed to again help fight against disinformation.
But what happens if a firm fails to oblige to these new rules being outlined? Well, the answer is pretty straightforward. They would face penalties in the form of hefty fines that could entail as much as 6% of each firm’s turnover.
On average, a period of six months will be provided to implement all of these rules, after the firms agree to the codes delineated.
Intermediary advertising firms will also similarly need to play their roles to combat misinformation arising in ads that are displayed across these apps. Moreover, the commission did also reveal how confident it feels that once the codes come into play, they’ll be able to do a much finer job at tackling the major disinformation crisis.
Now the move to combat this problem in Europe has also forced some other leading names to sign up for the latest version of the code against the spread of misinformation. And that’s why we’re seeing Microsoft, TikTok, Meta, Google, and more coming forward and agreeing.
This new document will oversee who is implementing the policies, what the penalties of failing to act could be, and also how they could better deal with misinformation to keep their users safe.
A new report was leaked by the Financial Times that mentioned how these leading social media platforms would remove, eliminate, or fight against harmful content in terms of both advertising and even promotional activities.
To put it simply, no one will now be allowed to get away with false, misleading, and harmful content that does nothing but aggravate disinformation spread.
This move is being looked upon as a maneuver that assists these tech companies in using their own tools to tackle the problem. But at the same time, it provides everyone a fixed set of rules that must be abided by.
Yes, this means the government and associated bodies will be gaining more control over these firms in terms of deciding which news is real and which is fake.
Let’s take a look at the past when Twitter was left with no choice but to block numerous accounts after receiving multiple requests from authorities in India. This was related to the sharing of controversial remarks regarding the nation’s prime minister.
We’re also seeing China and Ukraine do the same, where so many bans are being added to a number of social media platforms, thanks to their own national conflicts.
Other than this, all firms under the new codes will be obliged to send out a breakdown of their country reports and what practices they’re making use of to tackle the issues.
All in all, we feel the new decision is good as it makes you realize how massive of a problem misinformation has become, thanks to the negligence of these leading tech names.
Read next: Corporations Are Hiding Their Carbon Emissions With Bad Math, New Research Reveals
