The EU Seeks Dialogue with US Tech Firms Before Germany’s Upcoming Election
The European Union is set to conduct a “stress test” for technology and social media firms to evaluate their responses to misinformation ahead of Germany’s upcoming election next month.
Officials from the European Commission have summoned tech giants, including X, Meta, Snap, TikTok, Google, Microsoft, and LinkedIn, to a meeting scheduled for January 31, as reported by several news outlets. During this session, these officials will question the companies on their potential reactions to various scenarios that could disrupt the election, such as AI-generated fakes and disinformation campaigns, according to Bloomberg.
TechCrunch has reached out to all the companies for their comments and will provide updates on this story as responses are received.
This stress test aims to determine whether tech companies are adhering to the EU’s Digital Services Act, which mandates that companies implement protective measures and protocols to counter misinformation and illegal content on their platforms.
The test precedes Germany’s snap federal election in February, and its outcomes could significantly impact the wider EU landscape, given that Germany is the largest member state in the bloc.
In light of a recent incident where Romania annulled the results of its first presidential election round due to evidence of Russian interference—allegedly amplified by TikTok’s algorithm—and the recording of 85,000 attempted cyberattacks on electoral websites and IT infrastructure, the EU is likely scrutinizing how tech companies are complying with the DSA.
Elon Musk and X have already influenced the upcoming German election, with Musk recently interviewing Alice Weidel, leader of the far-right AfD party and a candidate in the election, on X.
This announcement comes shortly after former President Donald Trump criticized the EU’s regulatory approach to U.S. tech firms like Google, Meta, and Apple, two of which are part of the stress test invitation.
While addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump characterized the EU’s regulation of U.S.-based tech companies as “a form of taxation.”