Facebook and TikTok put an end to fake news stories in Italy – Euractiv

A fake news story circulating on Italian social media claiming that Italy could leave the EU if turnout in this weekend's elections was too low was deleted by major tech platforms this week.

The story, reported by Facta Newscould be a positive example of the ability of large technology platforms to combat fake news ahead of the European elections from 6 to 9 June.

Officials and politicians are raising alarm about the potential for foreign influence through disinformation, and online platforms are often criticized for their inability to handle the enormous flood of false reports.

The photo appeared on Facebook on May 24 and claimed that in the event of a “very low turnout” in the EU elections, Article 50 of the European Constitution would require an immediate referendum on leaving the European Union, reported Facta News“Don’t vote!” is the last sentence of the screenshot.

It was later shared on TikTok and X.

The disinformation posts were published by Italy’s Facta News on social media platforms, the publication told Euractiv. This led to TikTok removing some of the posts and Facebook blurring the screenshot and informing users that it was fake news.

Facebook and TikTok's moderation decisions likely reduced the reach of the fake news story, as the post received around 3,000 views on Facebook. Facta News said.

Meta and TikTok confirmed to Euractiv that they had responded to the content by either blurring the screenshots on Facebook or deleting some posts and blocking TikTok accounts. These decisions were made jointly with Italian fact-checking organizations, spokespeople told Euractiv.

The companies stated that they could not or would not provide detailed information about this fake news story, such as the number of views and response times of moderation decisions.

However, the photo can still be found without any disclaimer in at least one group chat on the encrypted messaging app Telegram. The group chat has 2,700 members.

Checking the facts

There are no constitutional provisions in Italy that oblige the Italian government to request a referendum on leaving the EU in the event of low voter turnout in the European elections.

The European Union does not have a single codified constitution. Although the European Parliament and the Council of the EU agreed on an EU constitution in 2004, it was rejected in referendums in France and the Netherlands in 2005.

The Treaty of Lisbon, signed in 2007 and entered into force in 2009, defined the functioning of the EU institutions and amended two previous association treaties.

One of these treaties, the Treaty on European Union, contains Article 50, which allows any EU member state to voluntarily and unilaterally withdraw from the EU “in accordance with its own constitutional requirements”.

There is no automation, as the screenshot suggests.

It took Britain almost a year to trigger Article 50 after a referendum on leaving the EU.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

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