By Fu Yun Che
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:) has added security features to its misinformation tracking tool CrowdTangle for use during European Parliament elections in an attempt to allay European Union concerns that led to an investigation last month into the impact of its decision to phase out… the tool.
The American social media platform said last week that candidates for next month's elections will see a notification at the top of their Facebook and Instagram pages about how to protect themselves and their accounts.
This includes directing them to resources that explain how to, among other things, set up two-factor authentication, review security settings, or set up Hidden Words, an Instagram feature that automatically sends personal message requests containing offensive words, phrases, and emojis to the hidden folder.
Meta, which has more than 250 million monthly users in the EU, on Monday followed up last week's announcement with live views of every EU country, sorted by relevant keywords, public groups and Instagram accounts, which will enable real-time election monitoring. By researchers, journalists and civil society.
The European Commission welcomed this step.
“The Commission will monitor the effective implementation of these functions and will continue to work with Meta towards more sustainable solutions that meet all its concerns as set out in the opening decision,” the EU executive said in a statement.
“Formal proceedings against Meta are still open,” she said.
