EU demands Meta and TikTok detail efforts to curb disinformation from Israel-Hamas war

LONDON (AP) — The European Union ratcheted up its scrutiny of Big Tech companies on Thursday with demands for Meta and TikTok to detail their efforts to curb illegal content and disinformation during the Israel-Hamas war.

The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's executive branch, formally requested that the social media companies provide information on how they're complying with sweeping new digital rules aimed at cleaning up online platforms.

The commission asked Meta and TikTok to explain the measures they have taken to reduce the risk of spreading and amplifying terrorist and violent content, hate speech and disinformation.

Under the EU's new rules, which took effect in August, the biggest tech companies face extra obligations to stop a wide range of illegal content from flourishing on their platforms or face the threat of hefty fines.