Leaders urge fake news crackdown

An open letter from eight prime ministers urged tech giants to take more aggressive steps to fight disinformation on their platforms. The prime ministers expressed concerns about the destabilizing effects of fake news from Russia, especially about the war in Ukraine. Their letter called on the leaders of Meta and other companies to take action “against disinformation that undermines our peace and stability” and urged them to stamp out efforts “to weaken our support to Ukraine amid Russia’s war of aggression.” The prime ministers also called for more coordinated regulation from governments. The national leaders called for tech companies to better self-police; devote more resources toward responding to false narratives; adjust algorithms to prioritize truthfulness over engagement; and clearly mark deepfakes and automated posts — including those produced by A.I. “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,” they wrote. Paid ads “are often used to call for social unrest, bring violence to the streets and destabilize governments,” they said.