More robust procedures for reporting and monitoring online disinformation need to be developed for the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation to become a more effective tool in fighting disinformation. That’s according to CovidCheck, a new research report assessing the implementation of the EU Code of Practice on Disinformation to in relation to COVID-19.
The report which was published on Thursday 16th September was commissioned by the BAI and is the third monitoring report commissioned by the BAI, and prepared by the Institute for Future Media, Democracy and Society (FuJo), on the implementation of the Code in Ireland.
Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, TikTok and Twitter are all signatories to the self-regulatory Code of Practice on Disinformation.
The research found that while the code has been useful in prompting signatories to respond to concerns about disinformation, there are shortcomings in its implementation and scope. The report sets out nine recommendations for more effective reporting and monitoring of disinformation including standardization of reporting, clear definitions of policies and common terms, reporting on the use of automated systems to combat disinformation and developing meaningful KPIs for areas such as content labels, content and account removals, factchecking and media literacy campaigns.
FuJo researcher and MLI Vice-Chair, Dr Eileen Culloty said: “We hope the findings and recommendations of this report contribute to the strengthening of the Code, including the development of robust procedures for reporting and monitoring.”
