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Meta and TikTok agreed on Tuesday to take voluntary measures to combat harmful disinformation following a deadly migration surge at the border of Ceuta, according to the European Union.
Experts noted that viral online rumours falsely claiming the border was open helped drive 72,000 migrants from Morocco toward the Spanish territory late last month.
In response, the European Commission coordinated with the tech giants and Europol to establish an ad hoc escalation mechanism under the Digital Services Act, giving platforms direct access to local fact-checkers to quickly flag misleading posts.
Both tech platforms activated crisis protocols and pledged active monitoring of their channels.
Meta confirmed its teams are removing policy-violating content in real time, particularly posts promoting or facilitating human smuggling services.
TikTok similarly reaffirmed strict prohibitions against content enabling illegal border crossings, directing its partner fact-checking agencies in Spain and Morocco to maintain heightened vigilance.
European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari stated the EU considers these voluntary steps effective for now but emphasised that Brussels stands ready to mandate stricter legal enforcement if necessary.
