Meta, TikTok agree to fact-check content on Spain border crossings after deadly incident

BRUSSELS - Social networks Meta and TikTok have agreed to fact-check content on border crossings into Spain following the massive rush to enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco in late July, European Union tech chief Henna Virkkunen said.

The purpose is to prevent criminal networks from enticing potential migrants to attempt to cross borders with false information, which has led to tragic deaths, she said in a post on social media platform X late on Aug 10.

Meta and TikTok agreed with the European Union (EU) to set up an “ad-hoc escalation and cooperation mechanism with fact-checkers” as part of crisis protocols, according to the post.

The European Commission and pan-European police force Europol are discussing the situation with the two companies every day, the post said.

Virkkunen also spoke with Oscar Lopez, Spain’s Minister for Digital Economy, on how to prevent border crossing and the loss of lives.

More than 70,000 would-be migrants flooded into Ceuta in a mass rush on July 30 that left nearly 100 dead.

They were encouraged to cross into the Spanish enclave by a handful of viral videos, including some posted by a Spanish news outlet intended to highlight the burden of migration pressures.

Ceuta and Melilla have the EU’s only land borders with Africa, with both cities periodically experiencing surges in attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach Europe. REUTERS