Twitter receives a yellow card from the EU for its ineffective fight against misinformation.
Twitter's performance lagged behind Google, Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) Twitter received a warning from the European Commission on Thursday, as its efforts to combat misinformation fell short of measures taken by Google, Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok.
The companies submitted progress reports on complying with measures to combat disinformation over the past six months.
The reports included data on advertising revenue that companies had avoided from agents promoting disinformation, the number or value of political ads accepted or rejected, and cases of manipulative behavior detected.
Last year, the European Commission linked a code of conduct to the measures to combat disinformation gathered under the Digital Services Act, which allows regulators to fine companies up to 6% of their global turnover for violations.
The vice-president of the Commission for Values and Transparency, Vera Jourova, criticized Twitter.
"I am disappointed to see that Twitter's report is lagging behind others and I expect a more serious commitment to its obligations," Jourova said in a statement.
The European Union executive said the Twitter report lacks data and contains no information about commitments. The company has not commented on the matter.
"The circus on Twitter is undermining the very foundations of the code of conduct. They've set the bar so low that nobody is looking at the flaws on other platforms," said Luca Nicotra, campaign director for the NGO Avaaz.
"Google has made no progress in collaborating with fact-checkers and is really lagging behind in transparency and access to data. TikTok is trying to catch up, but its algorithm is still massively accelerating misinformation. Despite some progress, Meta's size means they are still frequently one of the biggest sources of misinformation," he said.
Google said it was committed to making the code of conduct a success. Meta said it had invested heavily in its efforts and that its teams continue working to improve its action. TikTok said it would increase its efforts.
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