The European Commission (EC) has launched 10 investigations into popular social networks, due to suspicions of violating European rules on their activities. EC Vice-President Henna Virkunen revealed at a hearing in the European Parliament in Strasbourg that these investigations include the platforms "Ex" (formerly Twitter), "TikTok", "Ali Express", "Meta" and "Temu", BTA reports.
This action underlines the EU's commitment to ensuring respect for democratic norms and the protection of citizens' personal information.
External interference and threats to democracy
Virkunen pointed out that social networks, such as "Facebook", "Instagram" and "TikTok", could be a channel for external interference in democratic election processes and crucial political events in the EU. This, she said, poses a serious threat to free and fair elections — the foundation of European democracy.
The European legislator has given clear responsibilities to platforms and is calling on them to take steps to prevent such manipulation.
The EU's approach to regulating online content
Regarding the investigations, Virkunen said that the aim is not censorship but the effective protection of fundamental rights, such as the right to freedom of expression. The Commission is requiring platforms to take measures and change their algorithms to prevent threats to society. One of the concrete examples she cited was the insistence that "Ex" start storing data on changes to its algorithms related to content recommendations.
This is an important step in the implementation of the EU's policy to ensure fairness and transparency in the online space.