E01¶


Research	R0050 — Journalism Disciplines
Run	2026-03-31-02
Query	Q003
Source	SRC03
Evidence	SRC03-E01
Type	Reported

EU Code of Practice adopts taxonomy terminology but not structured classification procedures

URL: https://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/02/12/2025/assessing-eus-code-practice-disinformation-platform-responses-information-disorders

Extract¶

The EU Code of Practice on Disinformation (2018, strengthened 2022) was signed by major platforms including Google, Meta, Microsoft, and TikTok. It uses the Wardle-Derakhshan terminology, categorizing information disorders as "misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation."

However, the Code of Practice is a self-regulatory framework with commitments to reduce the spread of disinformation. Platforms report on their implementation through transparency reports. The Code does not prescribe structured classification procedures for determining whether specific content is misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation. Each platform applies its own content policies and classification methods.

Key finding: The EU has adopted the taxonomy's vocabulary in its most significant policy response to information disorder, but the adoption is at the definitional level, not the procedural level. Platforms are asked to address "disinformation" but are not required to classify content using the three-category system in a structured way.

Relevance to Hypotheses¶

Hypothesis	Relationship	Strength
H1	Contradicts	Policy adoption is definitional, not procedural
H2	Strongly supports	Clear vocabulary adoption without structured classification
H3	Contradicts	EU policy adoption is significant real-world adoption

Context¶

The EU Code of Practice represents the most consequential policy adoption of the Wardle-Derakhshan taxonomy. Its adoption at the vocabulary level but not the procedural level is emblematic of the framework's overall trajectory.