{"id":39067,"date":"2025-08-11T13:13:29","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T13:13:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/big-tech-vs-fact-checking-why-social-media-giants-are-dodging-responsibility\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T13:13:36","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T13:13:36","slug":"big-tech-vs-fact-checking-pourquoi-les-geants-des-reseaux-sociaux-se-derobent-a-leurs-responsabilites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/big-tech-vs-fact-checking-pourquoi-les-geants-des-reseaux-sociaux-se-derobent-a-leurs-responsabilites\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Tech vs. Fact-checking : pourquoi les g\u00e9ants des r\u00e9seaux sociaux se d\u00e9robent \u00e0 leurs responsabilit\u00e9s"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Promises to PR: The Fact-Checking Illusion <\/p>\n

The EU\u2019s <\/span>Code of Practice on Disinformation<\/span><\/i><\/a> and <\/span>Digital Services Act<\/span><\/i><\/a> (DSA) were designed to hold online platforms accountable. But EDMO\u2019s latest report<\/a> shows that many of these companies are sticking to the bare minimum \u2014 or experimenting with alternative, often ineffective, moderation tools.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since 2018, big names like Meta<\/a>, Google, Microsoft, and TikTok have signed up to the Code. And from July 2025, it becomes legally binding under the DSA. Sounds promising, right? Not quite.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to EDMO, only Google earned a \u201chigh\u201d rating for supporting fact-checking efforts. Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok were ranked \u201clow\u201d or \u201cpartial.\u201d These platforms might label misleading content, but rarely explain how effective those labels actually are. Worse \u2014 most don\u2019t use any clear method to measure results.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meta\u2019s Move: From Experts to the Crowd <\/p>\n

In January 2025, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta would phase out its cooperation with independent fact-checkers. Instead, it plans to rely on a \u201ccommunity notes\u201d system \u2014 a model copied from X (formerly Twitter), where users themselves assess content accuracy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the twist: that\u2019s not technically illegal under the DSA. The law requires platforms to reduce online risks and be transparent about how they do it \u2014 but it doesn\u2019t dictate exactly <\/span>how<\/span><\/i> fact-checking should happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, shifting from professional fact-checkers to crowd-sourced moderation raises serious concerns. According to EDMO, this move weakens the EU\u2019s efforts to fight disinformation and could make platforms more vulnerable to abuse. Mozilla Foundation<\/a> went further \u2014 calling it a \u201cbetrayal\u201d of the DSA\u2019s goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

So even if it\u2019s legal, it may undermine the whole purpose of the law.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Enforcement Gap: Law vs. Reality <\/p>\n

One of the biggest issues isn\u2019t what the law says \u2014 it\u2019s whether anyone is enforcing it. EDMO warns that many platform reports are vague, incomplete, or unverifiable. There\u2019s no clear timeline for integrating the Code into the DSA, and the European Commission hasn\u2019t yet assessed Meta\u2019s risk reports or presented follow-up plans for other companies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, X has officially exited the Code, and Meta won\u2019t confirm if it plans to stay in.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a fun fact: Wikipedia \u2014 yes, the volunteer-run encyclopedia \u2014 is the only major platform that uses community notes <\/span>properly<\/span><\/i>, in line with EU law. Other platforms? Not so much.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regulation vs. Reality: What\u2019s at Stake? <\/p>\n

While the Code encourages cooperation with trusted fact-checkers, many platforms are doing the opposite. Meta is even considering pulling out of fact-checking entirely in the EU \u2014 just as the Code becomes legally binding.<\/span><\/p>\n

This legal grey zone creates a loophole: companies can say they\u2019re compliant while cutting essential tools that actually reduce the spread of disinformation. In practice, user protection ends up depending more on corporate goodwill than on enforceable law.<\/span><\/p>\n

And because there\u2019s no requirement to use professional fact-checking as the <\/span>only<\/span><\/i> method, more platforms might adopt crowd-sourced moderation. In theory, it boosts participation. In reality? It blurs accountability and weakens quality control.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can the EU actually enforce its own rules?<\/b><\/h3>\n

So here\u2019s the real question: can the EU actually <\/span>make<\/span><\/i> these companies follow the law?<\/span><\/p>\n

Formal proceedings are already underway against Meta and X. But without real deadlines or serious penalties, it’s hard to imagine these platforms changing course.<\/span><\/p>\n

Google\u2019s efforts are currently rated the best. But for most of Big Tech, it’s not about lack of resources \u2014 it\u2019s about lack of pressure. And without that, even the strongest law can\u2019t protect Europe\u2019s digital space from the flood of disinformation.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Promises to PR: The Fact-Checking Illusion The EU\u2019s Code of Practice on Disinformation and Digital Services Act (DSA) were designed to hold online platforms accountable. But EDMO\u2019s latest report shows that many of these […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":158,"featured_media":35313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[677],"tags":[6793,4901,2413,2002,6104,6794,6795,5730,1722,6796,2420,4138,2425,6797],"post_formats":[737],"coauthors":[3870],"class_list":["post-39067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-desinformation","tag-code-of-practice-fr","tag-digital-regulation-fr","tag-disinformation-fr","tag-dsa-fr","tag-eu-law-fr","tag-fact-checking-fr","tag-google-fr","tag-meta-fr","tag-misinformation-fr","tag-online-trust-fr","tag-platform-accountability-fr","tag-social-media-fr","tag-tiktok-fr","tag-youth-and-tech-fr","post_formats-serie-darticles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/158"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39067"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39074,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39067\/revisions\/39074"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39067"},{"taxonomy":"post_formats","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=39067"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pulse-z.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=39067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}