The report from the European Commission said Russian sources used bots and fake accounts to sow division, suppress turnout and influence voters. The commission also praised Facebook, Google, Twitter and YouTube for taking action against disinformation ahead of the elections—which ranged from identifying ads that violated content policies to disabling fake accounts—but warned that it would assess before the end of the year whether stricter enforcement, including regulation, is needed. (VentureBeat, Financial Times)

Talking point: This report is a change in tone from a European Commission statement last month, which reprimanded Facebook, Google and Twitter for not doing enough to fight fake news. The progress report shows how Facebook, Google and Twitter have responded to the EU’s action plan put in place in December 2018 to “protect its democratic systems and public debates.” The plan included a voluntary pledge by the platforms to combat fake news. While the report acknowledges the companies’ progress, it argued that more work needs to be done. It called for the platforms to be more transparent about which websites host ads, work with fact-checkers and give researchers greater access to their data.