Swedish authorities have made moves to crack down on gang crime recruitment via social media in the country by raising the issue with the EU due to its worrying escalation.
During a meeting in September, Sweden raised its concerns with Meta, Google, Snapchat, and TikTok. Now, Swedish authorities are asking the EU to intervene.
Sweden hopes that the EU’s landmark digital laws will apply to online criminal recruitment.
In 2023, the Digital Services Act was founded to force companies in the EU to clean up their online platforms, including Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok. This Act requires them to meet more stringent requirements and take responsibility for tackling “systemic” risks.
“In our view, online recruitment constitutes ‘systemic risks … stemming from the design or functioning of their service and its related systems, including algorithmic systems,'” explained Swedish authorities.