EU’s Disinformation Code moves closer to becoming DSA benchmark

In Brief

Staying on the right side of the European Union’s online rulebook when it comes to the slippery topic of disinformation is set to get easier for platforms that commit to the bloc’s long-standing Code of Practice on Disinformation. You know, the voluntary Code that Elon Musk pulled X (formerly Twitter) out of back in 2023.

The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) demands that such platforms take steps to mitigate such systemic risks. But one question is what kind of steps exactly? The Code provides a template to follow in this area — committing signatories to actions such as cutting financial incentives for purveyors of disinformation; focusing on service integrity (i.e., rooting out bots, fake accounts, etc.); and supporting fact checking.

On Thursday, the Commission and other DSA regulators moved closer to formally integrating the Code into the DSA’s legally binding framework — by delivering official endorsements of the step.

While Musk’s X has made its entrenched opposition to the EU’s approach to online governance crystal clear, there are other worrying signs for the bloc. To wit: Meta recently dropped its own commitment to fact-checking. And yet, it remains on the list of Code signatories — at least for now — which looks awkward to say the least.

The Code’s DSA conversion will take effect from July 1, 2025 — which is when the Commission states that these commitments will be “auditable.” So any disinformation showdown isn’t likely for a few months — or, well, unless the bloc pulls its finger out and completes a DSA investigation of X ongoing since December 2023.

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