EU to set disinformation code in stone by January

The EU’s voluntary code of practice on disinformation is set to be turned into a formal set of rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA) by January, according to the Irish media regulator.

Paul Gordon, the assistant director at the Irish digital services coordinator Coimisiúin na Meán, told a conference in Brussels this week that work is currently under way to convert the current code of practice into a more formal code.

The process should be concluded by January, he said during the conference, organised by European Fact-Checking Standards Network, adding: “For platforms it should lead to more meaningful engagement, it should not be a tick the box exercise.”

The 2022 code of practice on disinformation – now signed by 44 companies including Google, Meta and TikTok – sets out a broad range of voluntary commitments and measures to counter online disinformation, such as transparency of political advertising and cooperation during elections.

A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed that the Code “aims to become recognised as a ‘Code of Conduct’ under the DSA, becoming part of the DSA’s co-regulatory framework for signatories that are Very Large Online Platforms.”

The DSA applied to all platforms from February this year, obliging them to implement content moderation measures. The largest online platforms – to date 25 in total – face the strictest rules.

The code will enable signatories to demonstrate compliance with DSA risk mitigation obligations on disinformation, the spokesperson added.

The Commission and the European Board of Digital Services (EBDS), which comprises the national regulators, assesses whether codes of conduct meet the aims of the DSA.

A spokesperson for the Commission did not comment on the time frame.