Measures to combat fake news on Facebook

Subject: Measures to combat fake news on Facebook

Notwithstanding its protestations to the contrary, Facebook is systematically avoiding taking any real action to detect, identify and prevent fake news, while Greece is currently experiencing a worst-case scenario, the monitoring of fake news being entrusted to an understaffed site (ellinikahoaxes.gr),without the necessary journalistic experience.

Instead of remaining strictly neutral, the site frequently adopts a heavily pro-government stance, to the extent of accusing an opposition editor of propagating fake news 1 . Matters came to a head on Wednesday13 June when ellinikahoaxes.gr, in what appeared to be an attempt to enter the political arena and undermine anti-government opinion, issued a fake news warning that was itself fake news! Following a massive public outcry, the website then retracted its allegations 2 with no further comment.

In view of this:

Can the Commission say how it intends to ensure serious action by Facebook to combat fake news in Greece?

1 https://www.documentonews.gr/article/oi-mpatsoi-toy-facebook-xarakthrisan-ws-fake-news-arthro-gnwmhs-

toy-kwsta-baxebanh

2 https://www.ellinikahoaxes.gr/2020/06/17/fake-news-art-lessons-banned-from-secondary-education/

Answer given by Mr Breton on behalf of the European Commission

(10 September 2020)

Fact-checkers’ credibility depends upon their independence and compliance with strict ethical and transparency rules. The fact- checking organisation referred to in the Honourable Member’s question is a certified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles and has therefore adhered to internationally recognised professional standards for fact-checking (3). These include a commitment to non-partisanship and fairness.

In the case at hand, ellinikahoaxes.gr expressly acknowledged the mistake referred to in the question and corrected its original article on 17 June 2020 (4) in accordance with a key requirement of the Code of Principles, i.e. a commitment to an open and honest correction policy (5).

Fact-checkers are an integral element in the media value chain and the Commission acknowledges the importance of their role in the fight against disinformation.

In particular, the EU Action Plan against Disinformation (6) aims to support the creation of a multi-disciplinary community of independent fact-checkers and researchers focusing their activities around emerging digital media vulnerabilities and disinformation campaigns within the EU.

To this end, the Commission is deploying the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), which will help build such a community and coordinate fact-checking and research efforts across the EU.

Fostering collaborations between online platforms and independent fact-checking organisations is also an important aspect of the Code of Practice on Disinformation, of which Facebook is a signatory.

⋅1∙ https://www.documentonews.gr/article/oi-mpatsoi-toy-facebook-xarakthrisan-ws-fake-news-arthro-gnwmhs-toy-kwsta-baxebanh

⋅2∙ https://www.ellinikahoaxes.gr/2020/06/17/fake-news-art-lessons-banned-from-secondary-education/

⋅3∙ https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/signatories

⋅4∙ https://www.ellinikahoaxes.gr/2020/06/17/fake-news-art-lessons-banned-from-secondary-education/

⋅5∙ https://ifcncodeofprinciples.poynter.org/know-more/the-commitments-of-the-code-of-principles

⋅6∙ Join (2018) 36 FINAL.