Meta's Election Tools Blocked Over Privacy Concerns Ahead of European Parliament Vote

By Madz Dizon

Jun 02 2024, 23:48 PM EDT

Meta's Election Tools Blocked Over Privacy Concerns Ahead of European Parliament Vote — Meta and Google have reportedly talked with major Hollywood studios for licensing deals that could enhance the tech giants' AI video generation software. SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images

A Spanish data watchdog has halted the release of two election products from Meta that were intended to be launched before the upcoming European election.

Spanish Data Protection Agency Halts Meta's Election Tools

The Spanish Data Protection Agency has suspended Meta's Election Day Information and Voter Information Unit products.

This action was taken due to concerns regarding collecting unnecessary election data from Facebook and Instagram users. The agency made this announcement on May 31.

According to Business Insider, the products would have sent notifications to Facebook and Instagram users regarding the upcoming European Parliament elections, scheduled to start on June 6.

However, the Spanish Data Protection Agency has raised concerns about Meta's ability to handle personal data, including user names, IP addresses, age, and gender.

This could potentially violate the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The agency's suspension will remain in effect for three months.

Meta Faces EU Probe Over Digital Services Act Compliance

Last month, the European Commission investigated Meta to evaluate its purported failure to comply with the Digital Services Act.

Ahead of the elections for the European parliament and multiple EU countries, Meta announced that it would shut down CrowdTangle's functions on August 14, 2024.

This decision sparked an investigation. As per the EU's Digital Services Act, Meta and other major online platforms are obligated to provide publicly available data to researchers and nonprofit organizations, Medianama reported.

This data will be used to detect, identify, and comprehend systemic risks within the Union.

The Election Commission expressed concern about the potential consequences of discontinuing a public insights tool during an election year.

They emphasized the tool's importance in tracking misinformation, identifying voter interference and suppression, and providing real-time transparency to fact-checkers, journalists, and other stakeholders involved in the electoral process.