The DECO is increasingly receiving complaints from consumers who have fallen victim to fraud and scams rooted in false information that, when presented, appeared convincing, stated the legal expert.
Luís Pisco noted that DECO’s intervention in these cases is limited since recovering the lost amounts is not feasible.
Thus, DECO is focusing on educating and informing consumers on how to approach the proliferation of misinformation in the digital environment, offering useful advice on identifying false news, verifying content, or confirming sources.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to tackle misinformation, especially when it appears as audio, video, or images manipulated using AI [Artificial Intelligence], making it more crucial to fact-check, identify, avoid sharing, and report content that raises suspicions,” Luís Pisco stated.
Furthermore, “it is necessary to ensure that those who generate misinformation are truly sanctioned and that the competent entities have the means and instruments required to supervise and monitor the digital ecosystem. Portugal needs to do more in this aspect,” he said.
On legislative matters, the legal expert noted that “it is still too early to evaluate the actual effectiveness of the DSA (Digital Service Act),” but “it is urgent for Portugal to approve the implementation regulation, particularly concerning establishing rules for effectively reinforcing the powers of supervision and sanction imposition by authorities.”
The association also believes that AI has made it harder for consumers to determine whether they are facing false or misleading content. “In DECO’s view, the current regulatory framework remains insufficient to effectively address the growing challenges of misinformation amplified by AI systems,” he said.
“Regulation largely focuses on classifying and mitigating the risks associated with the development and use of technology, yet still lacks specific mechanisms to address the real impact of AI on shaping public opinion, especially when used to generate, promote, or filter illegal content,” the legal expert explained.
