Report: Tech giants failing to tackle fake news

BAI chief executive Michael O’Keeffe.

Four of the major tech giants have failed to make meaningful progress in tackling so-called fake news on their platforms over the last year, new research has found.

CodeCheck 2020, a report commissioned by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) and undertaken by Dublin City University (DCU) researchers, examined the response of Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Microsoft relating to content carried on their platforms.

DCU’s Institute for Future Media and Journalism (FuJo) said that while the platforms introduced various actions for consumers, the level of engagement is mixed and inconsistent.

The research followed a request from the European Commission. The Irish report was part of a larger project undertaken by broadcast regulators such as the BAI.

An EU Code of Practice on Disinformation was published in September 2018, with the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Microsoft, saying they would address five key issues:

• Scrutiny of ad placements;
• Political and issue-based advertising;
• Integrity of services;
• Empowering consumers;
• Empowering the research community.

The FuJo report said it looked at “mechanisms to report fake news, providing greater information on the content visible on the platforms, greater control and transparency in relation to advertising and user preferences, and the promotion of authentic and authoritative information sources”.

The report said that, as well as unsatisfactory progress in tackling fake news and misinformation, supports in place for Irish research and academic institutions “remain episodic and largely inadequate” to assist in “rigorous analysis and monitoring of online disinformation trends in Ireland”.

FuJo director Jane Suiter said: “Our findings indicate that the most significant shortcoming of empowering consumers was the labelling of trustworthy content on digital platforms.

“Our researchers could not identify any news item across any platform that had been labelled as fact-checked with the corresponding verdict on its authenticity. This represents a substantial obstacle in assisting Irish consumers to make informed decisions when they encounter news online.

“Furthermore, the provision of data and search tools to Ireland’s broader research community remains limited, projects and policies designed to empower the research community appear weighted towards US groups, and are far below the needs of the research community here to conduct meaningful research.”

BAI chief executive Michael O’Keeffe said the Covid-19 crisis has “brought into sharp focus the urgency at which digital platforms must engage more meaningfully with the code”.

Although the report represents “some progress” in monitoring disinformation online, it also indicates significant weaknesses, he said.