EU tech chief Virkkunen demanded tighter monitoring and fact-checker cooperation after 80 died in the Ceuta crossings; the bloc follows up Monday.
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The EU's technology chief told Meta and TikTok they must "act decisively" on disinformation during crises, days after false posts helped drive a deadly migrant surge into Spain's Ceuta territory. Henna Virkkunen, commissioner for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said the European Commission held talks with both platforms Friday. "Monitoring must increase, cooperation with fact-checkers to be strengthened," she said. The EU would be "following up on Monday."
Rumors that the Ceuta border was open spread quickly on social media, feeding a rush of tens of thousands of people toward the enclave. Spanish authorities said 72,000 people entered from Morocco on July 30-31; all but 2,000 had returned by Tuesday. Eighty people died in the crossings.
Magnus Brunner, the EU's migration chief, called the episode a "test" of the bloc's border security and its "resilience to disinformation." The crossings were "fueled by criminal smuggling networks and also disinformation," he said, while cautioning it was "too early" to say who was behind the online "instrumentalization" of the situation, whether smugglers or a foreign power such as Russia. He also warned the EU "must strengthen our capacity to follow misinformation trends on social media, working hand in hand with Europol and all other EU agencies."
An open-source investigation by technology company Golden Owl concluded "with a high degree of confidence" that the migrant rush "was a deliberately organized operation."
The incident has opened a diplomatic rift between Spain and fellow EU member Italy, which takes a hard line on migration. Right-wing voices cited it as evidence Europe faces uncontrolled immigration.
Virkkunen said platforms must act "in particular during crisis situations" to preserve the integrity of the digital space. The Commission's Monday session with the two platforms will press for specific monitoring commitments and stronger cooperation with fact-checkers. AFP, along with other media outlets, is paid by some platforms, including Meta and TikTok, for fact-checking work.
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