EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton has rejected Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s proposed rules for online content regulation, saying Facebook must take the responsibility for harmful and fake content on its platform.
Following a meeting with Zuckerberg in Brussels, Breton said that it was for Facebook to meet the EU’s demands, not the other way around.
According to CNBC, Breton described Facebook’s proposed Internet rules as insufficient and stressed that the company was “being slow” in proposing ideas on how to delete illegal and fake content from its platform.
Breton also noted that the social media giant failed to clearly outline its responsibilities or mention its market dominance in its white paper, published earlier the same day.
Facebook’s document offered recommendations for online content regulation. The paper, titled ‘Charting a Way Forward: Online Content Regulation’, rejects intrusive regulations by governments and instead recommends softer rules, whereby online platforms would regularly report content and publish enforcement data.
The paper suggests that government regulations should ‘respect the global scale of the internet’ and must also ensure that the freedom of expression is protected. It also urges regulators to give internet companies the flexibility to innovate.
Sir Nick Clegg, Facebook’s head of global affairs and communications, stated on Twitter that the paper offers “five principles that could frame content regulation, especially outside the US, that keeps the internet safe and protects free expression.”
Breton is expected to announce proposals today to regulate American technology companies and state-aided Chinese technology firms. He will also announce rules to govern the use of artificial intelligence technology, which will also affect tech giants such as Facebook.
Breton is also expected to take a decision by end of the year whether to introduce tougher rules as part of the Digital Services Act to regulate online platforms and fix their responsibilities.