The EU is set to launch formal proceedings against Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, amid concerns it is not doing enough to counter disinformation before the EU elections in June, according to reports.

It is understood the commission will make a move later this week against suspected infringements by Meta covering policies and practices relating to deceptive advertising and political content.

It also expected to express concerns about the lack of effective monitoring of election content and a potentially inadequate mechanism for flagging illegal content.