Meta and X’s Failure to Prevent Hate Speech in German Elections
Meta and X, two prominent social media platforms, have been found to approve advertisements that contain violent and hateful language targeting minorities, including Muslims and Jews, in the run-up to Germany’s federal elections. This alarming discovery was made by Eko, a corporate responsibility nonprofit campaign group.
Eko’s researchers conducted a series of tests to assess the platforms’ ad review systems by submitting ads with hateful and violent messaging. They found that most of the ads were approved within hours of being submitted for review. This revelation is particularly concerning given the heightened political discourse surrounding immigration in Germany leading up to the elections.
Among the approved ads were those containing anti-Muslim slurs, calls for the imprisonment or gassing of immigrants, and AI-generated imagery of mosques and synagogues being burned. Meta approved half of the test ads, including those that likened Muslim refugees to "viruses" or "vermin" and called for their sterilization or extermination.
X approved all 10 of the hate speech ads submitted by Eko’s researchers, including ads that targeted both Muslims and Jews. One such ad suggested that Jews are lying about climate change to destroy European industry. Notably, half of the ads used AI-generated imagery without proper disclosure, despite Meta’s policy requiring such disclosure for ads addressing social issues or elections.
These findings expose glaring flaws in the ad moderation practices of Meta and X. Eko’s tests suggest that neither platform adequately enforces its own policies prohibiting hate speech in ad content. Furthermore, Meta’s lack of improvement in this area since a similar test conducted in 2023, despite the implementation of new EU online governance rules, raises concerns about the platform’s commitment to combating hate speech.
"Our findings suggest that Meta’s AI-driven ad moderation systems remain fundamentally broken, despite the Digital Services Act (DSA) now being in full effect," an Eko spokesperson stated.
Eko has reported its findings to the European Commission, which is investigating both Meta and X for concerns related to election security and illegal content. The EU has yet to conclude these investigations, but has previously expressed suspicions regarding Meta’s inadequate moderation of political ads and X’s failure to meet ad transparency rules.
Meanwhile, German voters are faced with a potential threat to their democratic process, as civil society research points to the inadequate protection of the country’s election from tech-fueled risks. Global Witness’s tests reveal biased promotion of AfD content in the algorithmic feeds of X and TikTok. Additionally, X has been accused of blocking data access to prevent researchers from studying election security issues.
"The European Commission has taken important steps by opening DSA investigations into both Meta and X, now we need to see the Commission take strong action to address the concerns raised as part of these investigations," Eko’s spokesperson emphasized.
Eko warns of pressure from the Trump administration to soften the EU’s approach to Big Tech regulation. They urge the EU to resist such pressure and fully enforce the DSA to safeguard its democratic processes.
The failure of Meta and X to adequately prevent hate speech and misinformation in the run-up to the German elections highlights the urgent need for stronger regulatory measures and the importance of continued civil society monitoring.
