Report from The Next Web
In Brief – The European Commission has proposed giving Frontex, the EU’s border agency, authority to monitor social media posts about migration and flag problematic content. The proposal, included in a broader Frontex overhaul, would establish an online monitoring and response center within the agency to identify information relevant to border management and address illegal content linked to border security risks. The proposal would also have Frontex seek “trusted flagger” status under the Digital Services Act (DSA), directing platforms to prioritize its reports. Critics across political parties argue the online monitoring mandate could extend beyond targeting human smuggling to policing opinions about migration. Digital rights group EDRi warned that the DSA’s trusted flagger system was not designed to let police bypass due process in determining whether online expression is legal. Supporters argue authorities need tools to counter smugglers promoting dangerous crossings but want clear legal safeguards. The proposal now goes to the European Parliament and EU governments for negotiations.
Context – The Ceuta border crisis and subsequent political fallout saw European, Spanish and Moroccan authorities argue that false information spread on social media platforms, such as that the EU border was open and transportation to mainland Spain would be provided from the enclave, helped fuel the events. EU Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen, the lead EU commissioner on tech policy, met with Meta and TikTok and said social media platforms must act decisively to protect the integrity of the digital space, calling for increased monitoring and stronger cooperation with factcheckers, which is fully in line with more than a decade of Commission efforts pressing digital platforms to combat disinformation. However, many conservative populists, both in the US and Europe, distrust the ecosystem of progressive think tanks, advocacy groups, researchers, foundations, media outlets, and government agencies that they argue engage in ideological censorship under the guise of combatting online misinformation.