Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002137/2025/rev.1
to the Commission
Rule 144
Laura Ballarín Cereza (S&D)
On 3 April 2025, Meta announced that it was terminating its content moderation contract with Telus, which provided Barcelona-based moderation for Facebook and Instagram. As a result, on 28 April, Telus laid off 2 059 employees at its office in Barcelona. This decision followed January’s revelation that Meta was ending its fact-checking programme and relaxing its content moderation.
Article 35(1) of the Digital Services Act requires large online platforms to implement effective measures to reduce systemic risks, which may include improving content moderation, with expeditious content removal or blocking, in particular in respect of hate speech or cyber violence.
In light of the above:
- 1.Does the Commission consider that these redundancies, given Meta’s decision, could constitute a breach of Article 35 of the Digital Services Act?
- 2.Will the redundancies be included in the ongoing investigation into Meta, and when will the results of that investigation be published?
- 3.If a breach of Article 35 is established, what consequences does the Commission envisage for Meta under the Digital Services Act?
Submitted: 28.5.2025