A far-right leader posted on Facebook a photograph of refugees in Slovakia doctored to include an African man brandishing a machete.
As Slovakia heads toward an election on Saturday, the country has been inundated with disinformation and other harmful content on social media sites.
What is different now is a new European Union law that could force the world’s social media platforms to do more to fight it — or else face fines of up to 6 percent of a company’s revenue.
The law, the Digital Services Act, is intended to force social media giants to adopt new policies and practices to address accusations that they routinely host — and, through their algorithms, popularize — corrosive content.
If the measure is successful, as officials and experts hope, its effects could extend far beyond Europe, changing company policies in the United States and elsewhere.
Organizations:
Facebook, European Union, Digital Services
Locations:
Slovakia, Egypt, Europe, United States