“Innocent people and the truth are among the greatest victims of war”

On Wednesday, 18 October 2023, MEP Irena Joveva addressed the European Parliament during the Strasbourg plenary on how disinformation in times of conflict can be countered with the Digital Services Act. She started her speech by saying that any war takes a devastating toll on innocent people and the truth.

She went on to say that we are all aware of the validity of this statement, especially these days when videos, photos and comments are posted and shared across the internet at an unprecedented speed:

“But do we all, as a society, really appreciate how much manipulation is taking place there? Lies? Deliberate – serving the interests of certain people, some government, geopolitics, some aggressor, terrorists, or occupier? Disinformation, manipulation and fake news intensify divisions and fuel hatred. Towards the ‘other’.”

She expressed her approval of the Digital Services Act, but also stressed the need for proper implementation. The limits have been clearly defined, the positive benefits of the web must be preserved, harmful content must be limited and illegal content must be removed, she added.

It is imperative that the European Union take measures to guarantee that social media companies are fully compliant with the law, she stated.

“People need to know all the pitfalls of the web, but ultimately it’s always up to them who they believe. Yet … it is the truth that requires defenders. Especially in times like these.”

You can watch the full address here.

BACKGROUND

In early October 2023, Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, wrote to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and X (ex-Twitter) CEO Elon Musk cautioning them that failure to remove illegal terrorist and hate speech content from their platforms could result in a violation of the new EU digital services regulation. The European Commission has detected a rise in illegal content and disinformation spreading in the EU related to the conflict in Israel, as well as manipulated content, so-called deepfakes, ahead of the recent elections in Slovakia.

Under the EU’s newly adopted Digital Services Act, tech giants such as Google, Meta, X and Amazon are responsible for monitoring and removing illegal content, such as terrorist content or illegal hate speech, posted on their platforms. Failure to comply with European rules on removing illegal content can result in fines of up to six per cent of a company’s annual revenue.

Photo: EP – Genevieve ENGEL