@whattofix.tech.bsky.social
www.whattofix.tech
. @riovictoire.bsky.social will tell the committee about how the social media landscape is transforming, how #automation and #generativeAI are impacting #informationintegrity, and how #EU regulation can keep up.
Full program here: www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/2971...
⏰ TODAY AT 10am CET: WTF Executive Director @riovictoire.bsky.social will participate in a public hearing at the European Parliament’s Special Committee on European Democracy Shield (#EUDS).
Tune in here: multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/webstream...
🎬 Curious how RT and Sputnik made money from Facebook? And may have continued to do so, post sanctions?
Watch @riovictoire.bsky.social discuss our findings with Alexandre of @disinfo.eu
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7D-...
Coming up in 45 min: @riovictoire.bsky.social joins @aa.disinfo.eu to discuss our @whattofix.tech report on how Meta seemingly monetized multiple EU-sanctioned entities through its revenue redistribution programs.
03.07.2025 11:43 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0Our latest investigation revealed how EU-sanctioned entities took part in Facebook's revenue redistribution programs.
Meta: "being listed on our partner-publisher list is not itself evidence that an account has received payout"
True, but...
Read our response 👉 www.whattofix.tech/publications...
Who profited – and how – when Meta kept revenue-sharing deals with sanctioned entities like RT & Sputnik?
Our webinar on 3 July with @riovictoire.bsky.social, @whattofix.tech, will unpack the findings and what they mean for platform accountability.
Join us! 👇
🔗 us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
“Facebook pages affiliated with RT, Sputnik and other EU-sanctioned entities were among Meta’s active partner-publishers for months after being subject to EU sanctions. Some of these partnerships remain active as of June 2025.”
Has Meta violated sanctions?
www.whattofix.tech/publications...
📺 Watch John Oliver @lastweektonight.com describe how social media revenue redistribution is fueling the explosion of #AI slop and automation.
We don't share his fatalism.
There ** are ** BIG fixes.
We can't stop the tech, but we sure can fix the incentives!
👉youtu.be/TWpg1RmzAbc
Sanctioned pro-Russian media are still part of Facebook's advertising revenue program, according to new research from @whattofix.tech. #bizhumanrights #russia #bigtech www.politico.eu/article/sanc...
23.06.2025 16:17 — 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
Read the full investigation 👉 www.whattofix.tech/publications/bankrolling-sanctioned-entities/
Check out the underlying data 📊 docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
/end
We're not sanctions experts, but we think there's a strong case for scrutinizing social media revenue redistribution partnerships more closely 8/9
See @ec.europa.eu consolidated FAQs 👉 finance.ec.europa.eu/publications...
Meta also continues to monetize unverified pages broadcasting content from Russian media outlets subject to EU broadcasting sanctions 7/9
23.06.2025 16:21 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
As of 23 June 2025, the Egountchi Behanzin page continues to be provided access to Facebook's Subscriber Hub 6/9
23.06.2025 16:21 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Meta continued to monetize the page of Sylvain Afoua - aka Egountchi Behanzin - through to June 2025 5/9
23.06.2025 16:21 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Meta monetized the Facebook page of Russian pop start Polina Gagarina (sanctioned 24 June 2024) through to January 2025 4/9
23.06.2025 16:21 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Meta onboarded a whole new RT Arabic page for monetization in July 2023 — despite having labelled it as Russia state-controlled media 3/9
23.06.2025 16:21 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Building on Meta’s own partner-publisher disclosures, downloaded over 5 1/2 years, we find that ...
Meta re-onboarded the pages of Sputnik, Sputnik France, Sputnik Italia and SNA (Sputnik Deutschland) beginning in Oct. 2022, after having initially demonetized them. 2/9
Our investigation into #Facebook' s revenue redistribution programs reveals how #Meta continued to engage in — and in some cases initiated new — revenue redistribution partnerships with #RT, #Sputnik and other #EU sanctioned entities /🧵
Full report 👉 www.whattofix.tech/publications...
BREAKING. Meta a enfreint les sanctions de l’UE et distribué des fonds aux médias d’État russes RT et Sputnik ainsi qu’à une organisation panafricaniste dissoute par la France, via les programmes de redistribution des revenus de Facebook #AlloDSA 1/12
22.06.2025 07:55 — 👍 96 🔁 59 💬 4 📌 9
Propaganda und Desinformation, dafür sind die russischen Staatssender bekannt, deshalb hat die EU sie mit Sanktionen belegt. Hat Meta RT und Sputnik dennoch an Werbeeinnahmen beteiligt?
www.sueddeutsche.de/projekte/art...
Des pages de RT et de Sputnik sont restées « partenaires » de Facebook malgré les sanctions européennes
20.06.2025 10:12 — 👍 24 🔁 14 💬 1 📌 0
"Meta « aurait dû savoir que ces pages étaient liées à des entités sous sanction », estime What to Fix, qui note que les pages de RT et Sputnik concernées étaient presque toutes vérifiées, avec une coche bleue indiquant un compte officiel".
Par @okami.bsky.social
Ping @maudinet.bsky.social
... And if you haven't done so yet
Take a read through our full report on how Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd. may have been bankrolling RT, Sputnik and other EU-sanctioned entities → www.whattofix.tech/publications...
At @whattofix.tech, we’ve been working with a diverse group of experts on a set of #MonetizationPrinciples to define what responsible monetization governance must entail.
Have a read and submit your feedback here → principles.monetization.wtf
To be clear: we WANT platforms to redistribute revenue to #creators.
Otherwise, platforms would accrue ALL of the billions they earn in ad revenue each year.
But we need to ensure that these programs don’t finance — or incentivize — illegal and harmful activity.
The design, functioning and use of platforms' #monetization services has an impact across all systemic risks.
Yet, none of the platforms addressed monetization-related risks in their #DSA risk assessments. 🤔
Maybe the next ones?
Read our recent submission → www.whattofix.tech/publications...
The #EU’s famous Digital Services Act ( #DSA) has been celebrated for bringing regulatory oversight to online platforms and intermediaries.
But it doesn’t explicitly address platforms’ #monetization systems.
That’s a big gap.
Complying with sanctions is Business Due Diligence 101.
If Facebook isn't catching sanctioned entities when onboarding content creators into its revenue redistribution programs, who — and what — else is getting missed??
Read more about revenue redistribution → www.whattofix.tech/publications...
Facebook is unlikely to be the only platform to have engaged in revenue redistribution partnerships with sanctioned entities or actors otherwise engaged in illegal activity.
Meta just happens to be the only company to disclose its active partner-publishers.
That needs to change. #Transparency
At @whattofix.tech our expertise is in #TechPolicy and #TechAccountability.
So what we REALLY want to draw your attention to is what all this reveals about the inadequacy of:
♦️ social media platforms’ monetization systems and monetization governance
♦️ the current state of oversight
