EU Democracy Shield: WHAT TO FIX presents recommendations at the European Parliament

On July 17, 2025, WHAT TO FIX’s Executive Director, Victoire Rio, intervened at the public hearing on Generative AI and Democracy of the Special committee on the EU Democracy Shield (EUDS) at the European Parliament in Brussels. The hearing was also attended by members of the committees on Civil Liberties (LIBE) and Internal Market (IMCO).

Victoire stressed how the social media environment has evolved since the drafting of Europe’s Digital Regulation — including the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA) — fueling new incentives and evolving threats.

She touched on three key changes, including:

♦️ The rise of social media monetization - every social media platform has introduced monetization services, redistributing billions of Euro annually, without oversight.

♦️ The proliferation of inauthentic automation - automation software and phone-farm hardware have become increasingly available and affordable, with products and services actively marketed within Europe.

♦️ The redefinition of platforms' advertising models and publisher relationships - social media platforms no longer operate as ad exchanges, but run distinct ad and content businesses, rewarding publishers through royalties.

Combined with the rise of Generative AI, these changes have created a perfect storm, which is rapidly eroding information integrity and democracy.

♦️ Platforms are financially incentivizing — and bankrolling — harmful actors and activity.

♦️ Automation is making the mass production and distribution of content cheaper, easier and harder to attribute than ever.

♦️ Authentic content creators are being squeezed financially, making authentic content production increasingly difficult to sustain.

Victoire stressed the importance for the EU Democracy Shield to ensure EU regulation remains fit for purpose.

♦️ Make sure the DSA addresses the risks associated with monetization - The DSA requires platforms to assess and mitigate risks associated with the design, functioning and use of their services. This must include monetization services.

♦️ Classify monetization a core platform service under the DMA - The DMA requires gatekeepers of core platform services to provide fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory access. This must apply to both platforms’ advertising and monetization services.

♦️ Require platforms to disclose a lot more about their monetization governance and monetization partnerships - Transparency around social media platforms’ monetization governance and partnerships is extremely limited, undermining public and regulatory oversight. The EU must require platforms to disclose more information around their monetization programs, partnerships, policies and enforcement.

♦️ Make the sale of inauthentic automation products and services illegal - Inauthentic automation products and services are actively marketed on online platforms in the EU. The EU must more forcefully crackdown on their marketing and use.

The hearing also included contributions from Rasťo Kužel of MEMO 98, Rami Ben Efraim of BNF Group, Dr Grzegorz Lewicki, Alexis Prokopiev of Make.org, Lisz Hirn, Prof Emily Bender and Christoph Winter.