Fake news related to COVID-19 has intensified calls for social media to be more involved in tackling the issue.
It was in 2018 that the firms, including Mozilla and trade bodies for the advertising industry, signed up to the Code. The code rescued the tech giants from an external strict control. Subsequently, Microsoft and TikTok joined the party.
There are, however, a number of flaws in the code that the Commission has highlighted in a report following the review a year after its implementation.
The report said that the flaws can be grouped in four broad categories: lack of uniform definitions, limitations intrinsic to the self-regulatory nature of the code, inconsistent and incomplete application of the code across platforms and member states and finally the existence of several gaps in the coverage of the code commitments.
Vera Jourova, the commission vice president for values and transparency at the European Union called for more action to counter new risks. She said that the time is now right to propose new measures.
“The platforms need to become more accountable and transparent. They need to open up and provide better access to data, among others,” Jourova said.
At present, Jourova is working on a European Democracy Action Plan to make democracy more responsive to digital attacks.
The Commission is also expected to introduce, by the end of the year, a new legislation called the Digital Services Act, which would increase the responsibility and accountability of the social media sites regarding the content on their platforms.
