On Thursday, the European Commission declared that all significant online platforms, except for X, will need to formalize their voluntary commitments to combat disinformation as mandated by the Digital Services Act by July.

This action will incorporate the 2022 code of practice on disinformation into the DSA, establishing it as a standard for evaluating platform adherence.

Initially signed by forty-two companies, including Google, Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok, the code outlines various measures designed to bolster transparency in political advertising and strengthen cooperation during elections.

A senior EU official emphasized that while formalizing the code will simplify compliance checks, signing it does not imply legal immunity.

The Commission, which had aimed to finalize this process by January, seeks to ensure that the new measures encourage genuine engagement rather than a superficial compliance effort.

X distanced itself from the code following Elon Musk's acquisition in 2022. The Digital Services Act came into effect in August 2023, and the Commission has already initiated several investigations into online platforms, such as X, TikTok, and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram.

Recent efforts to formalize industry commitments have also been accomplished concerning the fight against illegal hate speech online.