The European Union has demanded Meta and TikTok provide information on the possible spread of disinformation on their platforms over the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Unlike the previous request, which lacked legal backing, this latest demand carries legal weight.
Both companies have been given one week to respond.
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Under the EU’s new tech regulations, the union can initiate a formal investigation if it finds the firm’s responses unsatisfactory.
The EU is particularly concerned about the dissemination of terrorist and violent content, as well as hate speech following Hamas’ attack on Israel.
A TikTok spokesperson said: “We’ll publish our first transparency report under the [new law] next week, where we’ll include more information about our ongoing work to keep our European community safe.”
A Meta spokesperson said: “Our teams are working around the clock to keep our platforms safe, take action on content that violates our policies or local law, and coordinate with third-party fact checkers in the region to limit the spread of misinformation.
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“We’re happy to provide further details of this work, beyond what we have already shared, and will respond to the European Commission.”
This demand from the EU comes after a similar inquiry into X (formerly Twitter) regarding the same concerns.
X had previously removed hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts from its platform in response to the EU’s communication.
Social media platforms have experienced a surge in disinformation regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict, including manipulated images and mislabeled videos.
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In October, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton sent letters to the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X, and Google.
He gave them 24 hours to respond.
These letters were not legally binding under the new EU tech laws.
Now, with the Digital Services Act (DSA) in place, the companies must respond within the specified timeframes.
Failure to comply with the DSA can result in fines of up to 6 percent of a company’s global turnover or suspension of the platform.
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The EU issued two separate deadlines to Meta and TikTok.
First, they were told to give information related to “crisis response” by October 25.
Then they need to respond to questions regarding the protection of election integrity by November 8.
The European Commission also requires TikTok to report on its online safety measures for minors by the November deadline.
