Disinformation

Few issues are as contentious as the role and spread of "disinformation" on social media and Internet platforms.

First and foremost is the thorny question of how disinformation can best be identified and when platforms should be required to block and/or remove content. The issue touches upon core questions of free speech and political expression. And has led to a plethora of confused policies and stop-start initiatives. According to a recent "code of conduct" agreed in 2018 with platform-industry input, platforms must remove any content that "may cause public harm" or poses "threats to democratic political and policymaking processes as well as public goods such as the protection of European Union citizens’ health, the environment or security." But the same agreement excludes a ban on "misleading advertising, reporting errors, satire and parody, or clearly identified partisan news and commentary." Drawing on the complex problem of stopping the spread of inaccurate health information in a global emergency, the European Commission released tackling COVID-19 disinformation - getting the facts right, a 16-page communication proposing monthly progress reports and tougher restrictions and labelling requirements for false health information that might be circulating through encrypted messaging apps.

Given the difficulty of legislating in this area, regulators have tended to rely on "self-regulation," such as the code of practice on disinformation mentioned above. But how well are these semi-formal agreements working? Are there perhaps lessons – positive as well as negative – that could be drawn up based on the relative success or failure of these codes in practice and the real-world functioning of the Internet in an unprecedented era of democratic expression and outright disinformation?

Below we pulled together some of the best evidence on the relative spread and level of identifiable disinformation as well as the efforts to contain and remove it.

Additional information on disinformation around the world can be found on the World Intermediary Liability Map (WILMap), led by the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School.

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Google Ads Accounts With Misrepresentation Violations (by Country)

The chart shows the number of Google Ads accounts with adds violating Google's standards regarding misrepresentation, by billing country. The data used are those reported by Google under the European Union Code of Practice against Disinformation. The results show that Germany is the billing country for the highest number of these accounts. European Union refers to EU28. The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020.
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Google Ads Accounts With Violation of the Policy "Insufficient Original Content" (by Country)

This data reported by Google under the European Union Code of Practice against Disinformation shows the number of Google Ads accounts whose adds violated Google's standards regarding original content, split up by billing country. The United Kingdom was listed as the billing country for the highest number of these accounts.
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Levels of Trust in News and Information from Different Sources at European Union Level

The Eurobarometer survey’s data shows that respondents were more likely to trust traditional news sources, such as radio, television, and printed newspapers and news magazines, than they were to trust online sources. Also, the respondents were more likely to report that they didn't know how much they trusted online sources. European Union refers to EU28. The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020.
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Levels of Trust in News and Information From Online Social Networks and Messaging Apps Across European Union Member States

The chart shows the distribution of the responses to the question, "How much do you trust or not the news and information you access through online social networks and messaging apps?" of participants in the Eurobarometer survey. The data shows that respondents from Portugal were the most likely to trust this type of information, while respondents from Austria were the least likely to do so. Among all Europeans, 26% of respondents said that they trusted this information. European Union refers to EU28. The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020.
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Mobile Phone Usage on Social Media in Emerging Economies, by Education Levels (2018)

The chart presents the share of mobile users in Emerging Economies interacting with social media, based on the education level. The results show that mobile phone and social media users with more education are more likely to post on social media social media.The report uses data from to the Mobile Technology and Social Impact 2018 survey, conducted from September to December 2018, by PEW Research Center, on 11 countries. The results are based on respondents' answers to survey question Q20j: "In the past 12 months, have you used your mobile phone to post your thoughts on social media about an issue that's important to you? (yes/no)"
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Number Advertiser Submissions Blocked by Microsoft for Containing Disinformation About COVID-19

The chart shows the number of advertisments submissions blocked by Microsoft under their Misleading Content policy for combating COVID-19 disinformation. The data used are those reported by Microsft under the European Union Code of Practice on Disinformation and covers the period July 2020 - April 2022. Since October 2020, the data reported includes also data on vaccine-related disinformation.
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Number of Accounts Suspended by Google for Coronavirus-Related Policy Violations

The chart shows the number of accounts suspended by Google for Coronavirus-related policy violations, by type of account, from January 2020 until April 2022. The data used are those reported by Google under the European Union Code of Practice on Disinformation monitoring programme. Overall, the data shows that Germany has the highest number of accounts suspended (589 accounts), followed by France (328) and Spain (224).
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Number of Ads Blocked by Twitter (May 2019)

The chart, based on data reported by Twitter under the European Union Code of Practice against Disinformation, shows the distribution of ads from non-certified accounts prevented from targeting European Union member states between April and May 2019. European Union refers to EU28. The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020. Ireland was targeted by the most ads of this kind, while Lithuania by the least ones.
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Number of Ads Rejected Under Twitter's Quality Ads Policy

Based on the data reported by Twitter under the European Union Code of Practice against Disinformation, in the period 01 to 20 May 2019, the United Kingdom was the target of the most rejected ads under Twitter's Quality Ads Policy. It was followed by Sweden and France. Lithuania is the country targeted by the fewest rejected ads. European Union refers to EU28. The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020.
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Number of Ads Rejected Under Twitter's Unacceptable Business Practices Ads Policy

Based on the data reported by Twitter under the European Union Code of Practice against Disinformation, in the period 01 to 20 May 2019, the United Kingdom was the target of the most rejected ads under Twitter's Unacceptable Business Practices Ads Policy. It was followed by Sweden and Spain. Lithuania is the country targeted by the fewest rejected ads.