EC Welcomes New Code of Practice on Disinformation

The European Commission announced it welcomes the publication of the strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation. The 34 signatories, such as platforms, tech companies, and civil society followed the 2021 Commission Guidance and took into account the lessons learned from the COVID19 crisis and Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine.

The reinforced Code builds on the first Code of Practice of 2018, which has been widely acknowledged as a pioneering framework globally. The new Code sets out extensive and precise commitments by platforms and industry to fight disinformation and marks another important step toward a more transparent, safe, and trustworthy online environment.

Together with the recently agreed Digital Services Act and the upcoming legislation on transparency and targeting of political advertising, the strengthened Code of Practice is an essential part of the EC's toolbox for fighting the spread of disinformation in the EU. The 34 signatories include major online platforms, notably Meta, Google, Twitter, TikTok, and Microsoft, as well as a variety of other players like smaller or specialized platforms, the online ad industry, ad-tech companies, fact-checkers, civil society or that offer specific expertise and solutions to fight disinformation.

The strengthened Code aims to address the shortcomings of the previous Code, with stronger and more granular commitments and measures, which build on the operational lessons learned in the past years. It is not just for big platforms but also involves a variety of diverse players with a role in mitigating the spread of disinformation, and more signatories are welcome to join. The new Code covers new manipulative behaviors such as fake accounts, bots, or malicious deep fakes spreading disinformation. Finally, the Code aims to become recognized as a Code of Conduct under the Digital Services Act to mitigate the risks stemming from disinformation for very large online platforms.