SOCIAL media networks Meta and TikTok have agreed to EU demands to fact-check content on border crossings into Spain following last month’s massive rush to enter the enclave of Ceuta from Morocco.
The European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen revealed late on Monday that an accord had been struck.
She that the purpose is to prevent criminal networks from enticing potential migrants to attempt to cross with false information, which she said led to ‘tragic deaths’.
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Meta and TikTok agreed with the EU to set up an ‘ad-hoc escalation and cooperation mechanism with fact-checkers’ as part of crisis protocols, according to Virkkunen.
She stated earlier at the weekend that large platforms must act firmly in crisis contexts.
“Platforms must act firmly to preserve the integrity of the digital space, especially in crisis situations,” Virkkunen commented.
The European Commission and the pan-European police force Europol are discussing the situation with the two companies every day, she revealed.
More than 70,000 would-be migrants flooded into Ceuta in a mass rush on July 30 that left nearly 100 dead.
Would-be migrants were encouraged by a handful of viral videos, including some posted by a Spanish news outlet intended to highlight the burden of migration pressures.
Henna Virkkunen has also had talks with Spain’s digital economy minister, Oscar Lopez, over how to prevent illegal border crossings and the loss of lives.
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