Social networks Meta and TikTok have agreed to fact-check content on border crossings into Spain following the massive rush to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco late last month, European Union tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a Monday post on X/Twitter.
The purpose is to prevent criminal networks from enticing potential migrants to attempt to cross with false information, which has led to tragic deaths, she said.
Meta and TikTok agreed with the EU to set up an “ad-hoc escalation and cooperation mechanism with fact-checkers” as part of crisis protocols, according to the post.
The Commission and pan-European police force Europol are discussing the situation with the two companies every day, the post said.
Virkkunen also spoke with Oscar Lopez, the Spanish minister for digital economy, on how to prevent border crossing and the loss of lives.
More than 70,000 would-be migrants flooded into Ceuta in a mass rush on July 30 that left nearly 100 dead.
Ceuta and Melilla have the EU’s only land borders with Africa, and both cities periodically experience surges in attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach Europe.
