Meta Faces EU Probe Over Russian Disinformation on Facebook

EU officials are again looking to test out their new powers under the Digital Services Act (DSA), with a view to bringing social media companies into line over data usage and advertising.

After already launching investigations into X, related to the spread of misinformation on the platform, and TikTok, over the protection of minors in the app, EU authorities have now announced a new probe into Meta, this time over the distribution of Russian-originated disinformation in its apps.

As per the EU Commission:

“The Commission suspects that Meta does not comply with D.S.A. obligations related to addressing the dissemination of deceptive advertisements, disinformation campaigns and coordinated inauthentic behavior in the EU. The proliferation of such content may present a risk to civic discourse, electoral processes and fundamental rights, as well as consumer protection.”

The note from the Commission doesn’t single out Russian-based operations by name, but Bloomberg has reported that the main target of this push is a specific Russian-based group.

As per Bloomberg:

“The probe targets the so-called Doppelganger campaign — a pro-Kremlin operation, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. The campaign attempts to replicate the appearance of traditional news sources while churning out content that is favorable to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies, the people said.”

Which is similar to how Chinese-backed influence campaigns operate, generally posting benign, aggregated news, often using AI-generated text, in order to gain audience attention and reach, before then inserting pro-government propaganda into the mix.

And in a year of many major elections in the region, the risk of such increases, which is why the Commission is seeking to ensure that Meta, and all social apps, are doing whatever they can to curb such initiatives.

And Meta says that it is working to address such.

As per Meta’s Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior reports, the company has shut down various disinformation programs being run by Russian groups, while it also says that its detection processes have continued to improve.