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The European Commission has confirmed an investigation into Meta over “political disinformation” on its various social media platforms. The probe is examining potential breaches of the EU’s Digital Services Act, which began enforcement in February.  

Specifically, the commission is scrutinizing Meta’s policies regarding political content and election-related information. One focal point of the inquiry is the handling of deceptive advertisements and “disinformation,” aspects that the commission argues could undermine consumer protection and healthy civic dialogue. In addition, the commission is questioning Meta’s approach to reducing the visibility of political content, probing its compatibility with the transparency and risk mitigation requirements stipulated by the Digital Services Act.

Adding another layer to the investigation, the European Commission is also concerned about Meta’s decision to discontinue the “CrowdTangle” tool. This tool was vital for journalists and researchers tracking misinformation on Meta’s platforms. The absence of an effective third-party tool for real-time election monitoring, particularly with upcoming European elections, has raised compliance issues under the current digital regulations.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen highlighted the critical timing of this inquiry, saying, “This Commission has created means to protect European citizens from targeted disinformation and manipulation by third countries. If we suspect a violation of the rules, we act. This is true at all times, but especially in times of democratic elections. Big digital platforms must live up to their obligations to put enough resources into this and today’s decision shows that we are serious about compliance.”

In response, Meta has expressed its commitment to cooperation. In a statement, the company said, “We have a well-established process for identifying and mitigating risks on our platforms. We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work.”  

In addition to Meta, the commission is also Investigating X and TikTok for similar concerns.