French authorities have urged social media companies to curb violent and potentially AI-generated content linked to protests, while major online marketplaces have agreed to step up efforts to prevent the sale of looted goods.
TikTok, eBay and four other major platforms were drawn into emergency talks with the French government this week as officials sought to limit the spread of unrest and crack down on online sales of stolen property.
Anne Le Hénanff, France’s minister for digital affairs, met social media representatives on Tuesday to remind them of their responsibility to moderate content, including livestreams that could encourage violence or violations of a curfew, French broadcaster BFMTV reported.
The talks followed criticism that social media platforms had helped fuel some of the country’s worst civil unrest in years.
A WIRED review of TikTok found that searches for “blocus”, the French word for blockade, returned videos that appeared to have been altered or generated using artificial intelligence. These included viral images of a protester dressed as the Pink Panther. The term was also being used to promote a second phase of protests planned for October 24.
TikTok added a warning to the search results, saying the situation was developing rapidly and that information could be unverified, incomplete or inaccurate.
Platforms agree to tackle sales of looted goods
A separate meeting took place on Monday with major online marketplaces, with Serge Papin, France’s minister for small and medium-sized enterprises, confirming that an agreement had been signed to combat the resale of looted goods.
According to French newspaper Le Monde, participants included Vinted, eBay, Amazon, LeBonCoin, Meta and TikTok.
Under the agreement, platforms will forward reports to investigators, monitor listings for goods stolen during the protests and submit reports to the government on the measures they have taken. The first report is expected within 48 hours, Papin said.
The French Alliance of Marketplaces, an industry association representing online retailers including eBay, Etsy, Vinted and LeBonCoin, said its members were using user reports, human oversight and technological tools to identify listings linked to the looting.
eBay said listings identified as fraudulent would be removed and action taken against the accounts involved, potentially including permanent suspension. The company added that the time required to act depended on the nature of the report and the verification process.
Vinted, Amazon, LeBonCoin, Meta and TikTok did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment.
More than 1,500 businesses looted
The government’s intervention follows a weekend of unrest that began with demonstrations over the rising cost of living and pressure on public services, including schools. The protests escalated into rioting and the looting of more than 1,500 shops and businesses.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez acknowledged that police had lost control in some cities. Officers used tear gas, water cannon and batons to disperse crowds, while authorities reported more than 2,400 arrests.
French law provides for up to five years in prison and a €375,000 fine for people who knowingly conceal, possess or transfer goods obtained through a crime.
Police in the Netherlands have also warned that stolen goods could increasingly appear on online marketplaces following the unrest in France, highlighting the risk that looted property could be sold across borders.
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