Zuckerberg Meets Macron Amid Pressure to Staunch Misinformation

• 05.10.2019, 13:16
•  Europe,  World

Politico.eu

The visit, the only stop on Zuckerberg’s itinerary according to Facebook, comes as regulators worldwide are racheting up pressure on the social media giant to take more responsibility over what its users post, France24 reports. 

Macron has been one of Europe’s most vocal critics of the laissez-faire approach that long dominated at Facebook and other technology giants, warning them that regulators will take action if they don’t.

Zuckerberg himself has recently admitted the need for greater oversight, and in recent months Facebook has been allowing French regulators to observe first-hand its efforts to weed out extremist content.

France is currently debating laws that would force digital giants to exert greater control of their platforms, including taking down unlawful posts within 24 hours of any report or face heavy fines.

Social media platforms might also have to require users to provide identification before they are allowed to open accounts, to stop people from posting hateful content behind the mask of anonymity.