The European Commission announced plans to evaluate major technology platforms' readiness to combat disinformation ahead of upcoming German elections in February. The assessment, scheduled for January 31st, will examine whether platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok and others have implemented adequate safeguards as required by EU regulations.
The "stress test" will simulate various scenarios under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to assess how platforms respond to potential disinformation threats. Seven major tech companies have been invited to participate: Microsoft, TikTok, LinkedIn, Google, Snap, Meta, and X.
"The stress test involves simulating potential scenarios in which DSA is applied and checking how the platforms would react to those specific scenarios," explained EU spokesman Thomas Rennie during a press briefing.
While TikTok has confirmed their attendance through a spokesperson, other invited companies including Meta, Snap, Alphabet, X, Microsoft, and LinkedIn have not yet publicly responded to the request. The European Commission has specifically requested participation from senior compliance officers and DSA implementation experts from these companies.
This evaluation marks the first such test focused on national elections, following a similar successful exercise conducted for European Parliament elections last year. The upcoming closed-door session aims to work collaboratively with German authorities to strengthen online platforms' defense against misinformation during the electoral process.
The initiative reflects growing concerns about digital platforms' role in election integrity and their responsibility to prevent the spread of false information that could influence voting outcomes.