The social networks - Twitter, Meta, TikTok, and YouTube - have failed to stop the massive Russian disinformation campaigns launched since the start of the war in Ukraine, according to a study published by the European Commission.

The report states that in 2023, the influence of Kremlin-backed social media accounts further increased.

Namely, since Elon Musk bought the company Twitter, now X, Russian disinformation has been spreading on an even larger scale.

A study published last week looked at the success of social media companies attempts to combat Kremlin-backed disinformation.

The report focused on the risks of Russian disinformation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), YouTube, TikTok, and Telegram.

The study suggests that the spread of misinformation has been fueled, particularly by the repeal of Twitters security standards.

Even before, official accounts of the Kremlin on social networks have placed and propagated false information about the war in Ukraine.

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However, in absolute numbers, pro-Kremlin accounts still reach the largest audience on Meta platforms.

Meanwhile, according to the report, the number of followers of Kremlin-backed accounts on Telegram more than tripled.

Twitter introduced limited accounts in April last year, which meant those accounts did not appear on the timeline or in notifications.

That was under the previous management team.

However, the company resisted a Kremlin-led ban on many profiles - which led to criticism at the time that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not banned from the social network, while former US President Donald Trump was.

The EU has taken a more aggressive regulatory approach to disinformation than the US

Earlier this month, the European Union introduced stricter rules for the worlds biggest online platforms under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

All major social media companies must adhere to stricter rules that require a more aggressive approach to policing content - including misinformation and hate speech.

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The study concluded that if the law had been in place earlier, all social networks would have breached their legal obligations, resulting in possible fines.

The European Union has taken a far more aggressive regulatory approach to disinformation than the United States.

The Digital Services Act, which came into effect on August 25, requires major social media companies to assess the risk of false information and prevent algorithms from fueling misinformation.

Also, the European Union imposed sanctions on Russian state media, which led, among other things, to YouTube and other platforms banning the likes of RT, the Russian news outlet formerly known as Russia Today, which was once one of the most-watched channels.

The research was conducted by the non-profit think tank Reset, which advocates for greater oversight of digital platforms.

Without full access to the data held by the companies — data that the new law must make more available — Reset relied on public information, such as the number of interactions the problematic content attracted from people who didnt follow the account that posted it.

The researchers concluded that social networks were not equipped for the information war that Russia is waging through its state official accounts and a large number of accounts whose task is to spread propaganda.

Using one essential technique, propagandists first posted numerous messages in unregulated spaces with lower traffic and then promoted those posts with links on more popular channels.

The researchers concluded that no social media platform has implemented policies that apply to all or even most accounts operated by the Kremlin.

In addition, they noted, the platforms ignored Russian cross-platform campaigns.