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Fundación Maldita.es has published a report assessing the response of TikTok, X/Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, and Telegram to the disinformation crisis that followed the DANA (the Spanish acronym for high-altitude isolated depression, a weather phenomenon that recently caused serious flooding in Valencia and other eastern regions of Spain on October 29, 2024).
Disinformation narratives and conspiracy theories emerging coordinately during the 7-days following the emergency fueled and amplified the frustration and rage of the population at a time in which quality information is crucial. The main narratives detected were related to:
Discredit of public institutions
Climate disinformation
Demolition of dams and reservoirs
Safety in the zone
In coordination with the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN), it was possible to detect different formats of these disinformation narratives in various languages and gathering thousands of impressions.
Platforms did not deploy relevant and tailored actions that they have reported in the past for similar crises, as for example, information panels with authoritative sources. Other mitigation measures such as labels, changes in recommender systems or Community Notes, were not able to efficiently manage the enormous flow of disinformation.
Both the Digital Services Act and the Code of Practice on Disinformation foresee crisis response mechanisms or measures that were not adequately implemented during this crisis. Fundación Maldita.es calls for better coordination between the European Commission, the Board and relevant online platforms in order to reduce the impact of disinformation during crises, as illustrated in the evidence gathered.
The full report can be accessed here.