BERLIN, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Germany's interior minister urged social media platforms on Wednesday to take stronger measures against disinformation before the upcoming election. This includes clearly marking political ads and flagging videos altered using AI.
During a meeting with representatives from tech giants like Google-owned YouTube, Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram), Microsoft, X, and TikTok (owned by China's ByteDance), the debate was heightened by concerns in the U.S. regarding whether regulating online platforms limits free speech.
Meta Platforms, for instance, recently ended its U.S. fact-checking initiatives. CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged to collaborate with U.S. President Donald Trump to combat censorship globally, also in Europe.
X's founder Elon Musk, known for affiliations with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), is a key advisor to Trump.
Faeser emphasized the necessity for platform operators to comply with European law in Europe and to intensify their efforts in ensuring their platforms are free from criminal content. She stressed the urgency of promptly reporting and removing criminal activities, like death threats.
"Political ads should be unmistakably identifiable. Content manipulated using AI must be clearly indicated," Faeser stated.
Moreover, Faeser called for increased transparency in the algorithms used by platforms to personalize users' content to avoid fostering extremist behaviors, particularly among younger audiences.
Amid her repeated warnings of potential disinformation campaigns, potentially from Russia, ahead of the federal election on Feb. 23, Spanish Prime Minister addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, holding social media owners accountable for "poisoning society" and undermining democracy through their algorithms.