Europe has released the first comprehensive measurement of structural indicators of disinformation spread on major online platforms. The study covered six services across four EU member states – France, Spain, Poland, and Slovakia. The report presents findings on the prevalence of disinformation and outlines issues related to monetization and cross-platform presence. The report was prepared by researchers from Science Feedback.

According to the analysis, the highest level of disinformation prevalence was recorded on TikTok, where about 20% of posts on topics of public interest contained misleading or false information. Facebook followed with roughly 13%, and X/Twitter with 11%. Lower levels were found on YouTube and Instagram (around 8%), while the lowest level was detected on LinkedIn – just 2%.

The report also examines the so-called “disinformation premium”, referring to the engagement advantage enjoyed by low-credibility sources. On most platforms, such sources significantly outperform high-credibility accounts in terms of engagement. On YouTube, low-credibility sources receive on average eight times more interactions per post per thousand followers. Similar trends are observed on Facebook (about seven times), Instagram and X/Twitter (about five times), and TikTok (about two times). LinkedIn is the exception, where no significant difference was observed.

Regarding monetization, publicly available data are still insufficient for precise cross-platform comparisons. Researchers note that some disinformation sources generate revenue primarily on YouTube and partly on Facebook. The authors stress the importance of implementing Article 40 of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which would enable transparent and standardized access to data on financial flows.

The study also found that low-credibility sources are often present across multiple platforms. They show greater interest in X/Twitter and Facebook, while LinkedIn and Instagram attract more high-credibility sources. Disinformation actors reach particularly large audiences on YouTube, whereas their relative presence on other platforms is more limited.

The researchers emphasize that differences between platforms demonstrate how product policy and algorithm design play a crucial role. LinkedIn’s example shows that it is possible to create an environment that does not reward disinformation with additional visibility. These are precisely the systemic risks the European Digital Services Act seeks to mitigate, and structural indicators are intended to become the basis for ongoing oversight and academic research.