Brussels weighs new ways to stop fake news ahead of elections
Brussels is considering new powers to prevent social media companies spreading fake news during election periods, including a crackdown ahead of the European Parliament elections in May next year.
European Security Commissioner Sir Julian King is calling for limits on the harvesting of personal information for political purposes and more transparency on internal algorithms used by internet platforms to promote stories. He proposes a “more binding approach” than self-regulation.
In a letter to European Commissioner for the Digital Economy Mariya Gabriel, Mr King also said he wants technology companies to reveal who funds “sponsored content” on their websites.
The “psychometric targeting activities” such as those of Cambridge Analytica are just a “preview of the profoundly disturbing effects such disinformation could have on the functioning of liberal democracies”, Mr King wrote in a letter dated March 19 and seen by the Financial Times.
“It is clear that the cyber-security threat we are facing is changing from one primarily targeting systems to one that is also increasingly about deploying cyber means to manipulate behaviour, deepen societal divides, subvert our democratic systems and raise questions about our democratic institutions,” the letter says.
Dutch politician Marietje Schaake said that a broad online crackdown could backfire if it is viewed as an EU attempt to stifle criticism, the FT reported.
Concerns have been heightened worldwide since whistleblower Christopher Wylie claimed that UK company Cambridge Analytica (CA) scraped Facebook data from 50 million users to target voters in the US presidential election.
Cambridge Analytica denied the allegations in a March 29 statement, saying its work on the presidential campaign was based on data from five sources including voter files from the Republican National Convention, polling, campaign data from donors and other sources, and consumer data from commercial brokers.
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg apologised for how his company handled user data and promised to restrict developers’ access to data. But he refused to answer questions from British MPs over how millions of users’ data got into the hands of political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, Reuters reported.
Several EU member states are debating “anti-fake news laws” in response to alleged Russian interference in European elections. While British Prime Minister Theresa May has warned social media giants to shape up or face fines, France, Germany and Ireland are considering legislation to target fake news.
French President Emmanuel Macron, himself a target of disinformation during his presidential tilt last year, unveiled plans in January that could allow judges to delete some internet content, block access to websites during elections, and give France’s media regulator the power to remove broadcasters’ rights to air content deemed to be fake news.