With illegal migrant numbers reaching 80,000 and dozens dying en route to the Spanish enclave, the European Commission is setting up a mechanism with tech giants to remove false narratives fueling new waves of crossings.
The European Union, Meta, and TikTok agreed on Monday to establish a special communication channel with fact-checking organizations to combat disinformation linked to the sharp rise in migrants arriving on Spanish territory. Three people familiar with the agreement confirmed the news to Politico.
Thousands of migrants arrived in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in Morocco that also represents the EU's only land border with Africa, at the end of July. According to Spanish fact-checking site Maldita.es, the influx was fueled by false narratives spreading online that promised migrants a warm welcome on EU soil.
Spain's Minister for Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, provided a new estimate of the number of illegal migrants during a visit to Ceuta on Monday, although the exact figure was not disclosed in the source. Ceuta's regional president, Juan Jesús Vivas, had earlier mentioned as many as 80,000 people, while Morocco estimated the number at around 40,000. The unprecedented surge occurred mainly on July 30, but most migrants returned to Morocco within 24 to 48 hours, Torres said.
The European Commission met with representatives from TikTok and Meta on Friday and Monday to coordinate a response to online disinformation. As three informed sources who wished to remain anonymous put it, they agreed on a "mechanism for enhanced information exchange and cooperation to reduce the impact of disinformation on the Ceuta crisis."
This channel will serve as a contact point for platforms, fact-checkers, and the Commission to quickly flag content for review and potential removal. The entire effort comes amid concerns that disinformation could spur further crossings into the enclave on August 15, warns Maldita.es. Representatives from the European Fact-Checking Standards Network also participated in Monday's meeting.
The Commission typically manages a rapid response system under the Code of Practice on Disinformation, often activated during elections. The new mechanism for Ceuta would bring together a smaller group of stakeholders, said two of the three informed sources. Another meeting is scheduled for later this week.
Meta and TikTok stated that they are already actively monitoring the situation in line with their policies and have established dedicated teams to monitor and respond to content in real time.
The crisis has divided EU member states and reignited the long-standing European debate on illegal migration. Italy has emerged as one of the harshest critics of Spain's left-wing government and its migration policies, and, as a sign of discontent, has introduced border controls for travelers arriving from Spain.
Former EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, a key force behind European online content rules, on Monday called on the bloc to launch an investigation into disinformation related to the Ceuta crisis, in an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa.
The human cost of the crisis continues to rise. Dozens of people have died attempting to reach the enclave, mostly by swimming. The official death toll now stands at 83, up from the previously reported 82. Discontent is also growing among the local population: around 5,000 people took to the streets of Ceuta on Sunday evening demanding greater government support and stronger border protection, according to police estimates reported by German agency dpa.
