The full article published in rfi.fr
The study's authors warned that Russian disinformation online increased in 2023, especially after Elon Musk took over Twitter late last year.
Tech giants TikTok and Twitter failed to tackle Russian disinformation online during the first year of the war in Ukraine, according to a study published Wednesday by the European Union (EU). A separate study also shows the ways in which TikTok has benefited from pro-Russian narratives, reports Radio France Internationale.
EU study follows stricter rules according to EU Digital Services Act, which came into effect in August for the world's largest online platforms.
The report focuses on the risks of pro-Russian disinformation on six platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (renamed X), YouTube, TikTok, and Telegram, as well as whether the companies' activities comply with the elements set out in the Digital Services Law.
Apart from Telegram, all other platforms must now comply with the stricter rules of the Digital Services Act, which require a more aggressive approach to problematic content, including disinformation and hate speech.
Tech companies signed a code of practice against disinformation that was supposed to mitigate some of the Kremlin's malign activities, the report said.
Most major platforms signed the code last year, but Twitter withdrew from it in June.
The study's authors warned that Russian disinformation online increased in 2023, especially after billionaire Elon Musk took over Twitter late last year.
Musk began a wave of layoffs when he took office, firing many moderators who checked Twitter content for misinformation and harmful messages.
The European Union has previously warned of online manipulation and interference by Russia targeting European cyberspace following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The EU is particularly concerned about the impact of disinformation during next year's European parliamentary elections and has called on tech giants to effectively implement the law that came into force.
There is a "high risk," the EU study says, that Russia will interfere in the election.
Another study, “Benefiting from Conflict”, by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), published on August 24, revealed that TikTok is profiting from ads containing pro-Kremlin disinformation and conspiracy narratives.