EU Urges Meta, TikTok to Strengthen Monitoring and Fact-Checking -

The European Union has called on Meta and TikTok to step up monitoring and fact-checking efforts to combat disinformation during crises, following a major migrant surge into Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta last week.

EU Commissioner for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen said the European Commission held discussions with both platforms on Friday and urged them to take stronger action to protect the integrity of the digital space.

“Monitoring must increase, cooperation with fact-checkers must be strengthened,” Virkkunen said, adding that the European Commission would follow up on the issue.

The call came after social media rumours that the Ceuta border was open contributed to a mass movement of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish territory on July 30 and 31.

Spanish authorities said around 72,000 people entered Ceuta, with all but about 2,000 subsequently returned. Officials said 80 people died during the crossings.

EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner described the incident as a test of the bloc’s border security and its ability to withstand disinformation. He said the movement had been fueled by criminal smuggling networks as well as false information circulating online.

Brunner cautioned that it was too early to determine who was responsible for spreading the online content, saying it could have involved smugglers or a foreign actor.

He called for stronger cooperation between EU institutions, Europol and other agencies to monitor misinformation trends on social media.

An open-source investigation by technology company Golden Owl concluded with a high degree of confidence that the migrant movement had been deliberately organised.

The incident has also intensified political tensions over migration in Europe, with right-wing groups citing the episode as evidence of weak border controls and uncontrolled immigration.-ERMD/TX

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