French authorities summoned TikTok and eBay after riots and looting, with over 1,500 businesses affected, to address content moderation and stolen goods resale.
The French government convened an emergency meeting with social media platforms on Tuesday, following concerns that their platforms were exacerbating civil unrest. The meeting aimed to remind platforms of their responsibility to moderate content, including livestream videos, to prevent the spread of violent material or content that might encourage violations of the curfew.
A review by WIRED found that TikTok's search term 'blocus' showed videos potentially altered or AI-generated, including images of a protester in a Pink Panther costume. The platform added an 'evolving situation' tag to the search term, warning users about unverified and possibly inaccurate content.
Separate meetings were held with online reselling platforms, including Vinted, eBay, Amazon, LeBonCoin, Meta, and TikTok, to sign an agreement to crack down on the resale of looted goods. The platforms agreed to forward reports to investigators, monitor stolen goods ads, and submit reports to the government within 48 hours.
Peaceful demonstrations against high living costs and strained public services escalated into riots, with over 1,500 shops and businesses looted over the weekend. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez admitted that police lost control in some cities, responding with tear gas, water cannons, and batons. Over 2,400 people were arrested.
French law allows for a five-year sentence and a €375,000 fine for those involved in the concealment or transfer of stolen goods. Police warned that online marketplaces in the Netherlands could see a higher volume of stolen goods due to the riots.
The French Alliance of Marketplaces said its members are using user reports, human oversight, and tech tools to monitor stolen goods ads, with fake ads being removed and accounts suspended if necessary.
Source: wired
