Anything which allows “disinformation to spread” in Europe will “absolutely result in legal repercussions”, Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty has said.
The remarks were made referring to unspecified “recent changes” implemented by social media firms X and Meta.
While Doherty did not say specifically what changes those are, she was presumably referring to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s major announcement this week that his social media platforms Facebook and Instagram will be ending their third-party fact-checking programme, and replacing them with a community-driven system similar to Elon Musk’s “Community Notes” system on X.
He stated that this change aims to “restore free expression” and reduce what he claimed to be excessive censorship on these platforms.
However, Fine Gael MEP Regina Doherty has responded by arguing that “European regulators should stand strong” in the face of such changes to prevent the spread of “disinformation”, adding that there will “hopefully” be “substantial consequences” for those responsible for allowing such content.
“Europe has spent the last number of years ensuring that illegal content and disinformation is not allowed to flourish on these sites,” she said.
“Legislators have given the tools needed to authorities like the European Commission, and Ireland’s own Coimisiún na Meán, to enable them to hold these larger platforms to account.
“We’ve already seen the start of significant investigations under the Digital Services Act and there will hopefully be substantial consequences for any wrongdoing.”
She further threatened “legal repercussions” for American websites that allow the spread of false info.
“Changes made on a whim by executives in California will be subject to serious analysis in Europe, and anything that allows illegal content or disinformation to spread will absolutely result in legal repercussions,” she said.
“Greater access to freedom of speech is welcome, but this should not be at the expense of safety online, both of these things can exist together.
“In a very fast-moving environment, regulators too must step up to the plate. When large platforms can make changes overnight, it’s not good enough that investigations go on for months, if not years. We need swift and strong outcomes where an investigation finds that platforms are bending or breaking the rules.
“The digital space in Europe is not open to the highest bidder. The EU has long sought to ensure the online space is a safe one for European citizens, and changes made by platforms will only be allowed once that is respected.”