Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and her counterparts from seven European countries have urged major social media companies to prevent disinformation.
The open letter calling for stronger efforts to combat the spread of disinformation by hostile countries was signed by the prime ministers of Lithuania, Moldova, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Poland and Ukraine.
"Tech platforms like yours have become virtual battlegrounds and hostile foreign powers are using them to spread false narratives that contradict reporting from fact-based news outlets. Disinformation is one of their most important and far-reaching weapons. It creates and spreads false narratives to strategically advance malign goals," the letter reads.
Initiated by Moldova, the appeal also says that social media is used to destabilise countries.
According to the letter published by the Lithuanian government, paid ads and artificial amplification on Meta’s platforms, including Facebook, are used to bring violence to the streets.
The letter said social media companies are urged to increase cooperation and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders – governments, civil society, experts, academia, independent media and fact-checkers.
Measures could include not accepting payments from sanctioned individuals, as well as algorithmic designs that prioritise accuracy and truth over engagement.
Previously, the Lithuanian government turned to Meta, the company that runs Facebook and Instagram, over content filtering and the suspension of accounts supporting Ukraine and posting about Russia's war and its crimes.
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