EU urges Meta and TikTok to strengthen monitoring and fact-checking

The European Union has called on Meta and TikTok to strengthen their efforts to identify and address disinformation during crisis situations, following talks with the platforms over the spread of false information related to the recent Ceuta crisis.

European Commissioner for Digital and Frontier Technologies Henna Virkkunen said platforms must “act decisively” to protect the integrity of the digital space, particularly during periods of heightened public concern. She called for increased monitoring of online content and stronger cooperation between platforms and fact-checking organisations.

The discussions followed a wave of disinformation surrounding events in Ceuta, Spain’s North African territory. A false claim that the border was open reportedly spread across social media and was linked to a large movement of people from Morocco into the territory.

The European Commission said it would continue following up with the platforms on the issue.

The EU’s migration commissioner, Magnus Brunner, described the episode as a test of the bloc’s border security and its ability to withstand disinformation. He said the movement was fuelled by criminal smuggling networks as well as false information, while cautioning that it was too early to determine who was responsible for the online activity.

Brunner also called for stronger capacity to monitor misinformation trends across social media, including cooperation with Europol and other EU agencies.

The incident has also raised questions about the role of social media platforms during fast-moving crises, particularly when misleading information can spread rapidly and influence public behaviour. An open-source investigation by technology company Golden Owl concluded that the movement was, with a high degree of confidence, deliberately organised, although questions remain over the actors involved.

The Commission’s response comes within the broader framework of the EU’s efforts to address systemic risks on major online platforms under the Digital Services Act, including risks related to the spread of disinformation and the impact of platform design and content recommendation systems.