Facebook

Report March 2025

Submitted
Commitment 17
In light of the European Commission's initiatives in the area of media literacy, including the new Digital Education Action Plan, Relevant Signatories commit to continue and strengthen their efforts in the area of media literacy and critical thinking, also with the aim to include vulnerable groups.
We signed up to the following measures of this commitment
Measure 17.1 Measure 17.2 Measure 17.3
In line with this commitment, did you deploy new implementation measures (e.g. changes to your terms of service, new tools, new policies, etc)?
Yes
If yes, list these implementation measures here
As mentioned in our baseline report, the key part of our approach to combat misinformation is providing tools and products that will contribute to a more resilient digital society, where people are able to critically evaluate information, make informed decisions about the content they see, and self-correct. Below are some examples of that work relevant to the European Union. 


During the reporting period Meta ran a range of media literacy topics, focusing on a range of areas, including Youth, EU Elections, Gen AI, as well as EU national elections. These campaigns are outlined in more detail in QRE 17.2.1 with reach metrics outlined in SLI 17.2.1.


In the second half of 2024, Meta undertook several initiatives aimed at promoting digital literacy and combating misinformation in the EU. 

As part of these efforts, in November 2024, Meta launched a global Fraud and Scams campaign including several EU markets, such as France, Germany, Poland, Romania, Belgium, and Spain. The campaign featured ads from Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, emphasizing our commitment to user safety. It educates users on how to identify, avoid, and report scams while highlighting our ongoing efforts to protect them on our platforms. 


In addition to these campaigns, we continued our collaboration with the European Disability Forum (EDF) by launching a media literacy initiative focused on accessible elections. This program aimed to promote inclusive and accessible electoral processes for all citizens, including those with disabilities.

Do you plan to put further implementation measures in place in the next 6 months to substantially improve the maturity of the implementation of this commitment?
Yes
If yes, which further implementation measures do you plan to put in place in the next 6 months?
In January 2025, Meta launched a Youth campaign running in France, Ireland, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.  
Measure 17.1
Relevant Signatories will design and implement or continue to maintain tools to improve media literacy and critical thinking, for instance by empowering users with context on the content visible on services or with guidance on how to evaluate online content.
Facebook
QRE 17.1.1
Relevant Signatories will outline the tools they develop or maintain that are relevant to this commitment and report on their deployment in each Member State.
As mentioned in our baseline report, we have developed over the years a series of tools and resources - such as online tutorials, lesson plans for educators, tips for spotting false news, and awareness-raising ad campaigns - to educate and equip people with the necessary skills for navigating the digital world. 

A key pillar of our strategy is to inform our users by providing people with specific and relevant context when they come across a flagged post, we can help them be more informed about what they see and read. Here are some ways we provide context on relevant pieces of content that may be sensitive or misleading:
  • Warning screens on sensitive content on Facebook: 
    • People value the ability to discuss important and often difficult issues online, but they also have different sensitivities to certain kinds of content. Therefore, we include a warning screen over potentially sensitive content on Facebook, such as:
      • Violent or graphic imagery.
      • Posts that contain descriptions of bullying or harassment, if shared to raise awareness.
      • Some forms of nudity.
      • Posts related to suicide or suicide attempts.
  • Verified badges on Facebook: 
    • Our goal is to help people feel confident about the content and accounts that they interact with. 
    • To combat impersonations and help people avoid scammers that pretend to be high-profile people, Meta provides verified badges on Pages and profiles that indicate a verified account. This means that we've confirmed the authentic presence of the public figure, celebrity or global brand that the account represents.
  • Notification screens on outdated articles on the Facebook app: 
    • Our goal is to make it easier for people to identify content that's timely, reliable and most valuable to them.
    • To give people more context about a news article before they share it on Facebook, Meta includes a notification screen if the article is more than 90 days old. After which, we allow people to continue sharing it if they desire. This notification helps people understand how old a given news article is and its source.
    • To ensure that we don't slow the spread of credible information, especially in the health space, content posted by government health authorities and recognised global health organisations does not have this notification screen.
SLI 17.1.1
Relevant Signatories will report, at the Member State level, on metrics pertinent to assessing the effects of the tools described in the qualitative reporting element for Measure 17.1, which will include: the total count of impressions of the tool; and information on the interactions/engagement with the tool.
We were not able to deliver this SLI  for this report.