Major tech platforms refuted a fake news story claiming Italy could leave the EU if there was a low turnout in this weekend’s elections, Euractiv reported.
The story was published on Italian social media. It could be a positive example of the ability of major technology platforms to remove fake information ahead of the European Parliament elections taking place on 6-9 June.
Meanwhile, officials and politicians sounded the alarm about the possibility of foreign interference through disinformation. Moreover, online platforms are also often criticised for their inability to cope with the huge flow of fake news.
The photo appeared back on 24 May on Facebook. It claimed that in the event of a “very low turnout” in the EU elections, Article 50 of the European Constitution would require an immediate referendum to leave the European Union. The fake news then went viral on TikTok and X.
Decisions by Facebook and TikTok moderators likely reduced the reach of the fake news, as the post received about 3,000 views on Facebook, Facta News reported. Meta and TikTok confirmed that they responded to the content by either blurring screenshots on Facebook or deleting some posts and blocking TikTok accounts. The decisions were made in conjunction with Italian fact-checking organisations.
Complexity of leaving EU
However, no Italian constitutional requirements oblige the Italian government to call for a referendum on leaving the EU in the event of a low turnout in the EU elections. The European Union does not have a single codified constitution. Although the European Parliament and the EU Council agreed to adopt the EU Constitution in 2004, it was rejected by referendums in France and Holland in 2005.
The Treaty of Lisbon, signed in 2007 and entered into force in 2009, defined the way the EU institutions operate. It also amended two previous treaties.
One of them, the Treaty of the European Union, does include Article 50. It allows any EU member state to voluntarily and unilaterally decide to withdraw from the EU “in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.” However, it has nothing to do with the fake screenshot.
Previously, it took the UK almost a year to trigger Article 50 after the referendum to leave the EU.
