Disinformation Archives

A wave of disinformation comes as Kyiv is scrambling to retain Western support -- while attention shifts to the war between Israel and Hamas - ahead of what is expected to be another winter bombing campaign by Russia.

With a spike in disinformation on the Israel-Hamas conflict challenging social media platforms and EU institutions tasked with enforcing new content moderation standards, some politicians are considering moving to different platforms.

EU industry chief Thierry Breton told Elon Musk on Tuesday (10 October) to tackle the spread of disinformation on his X messaging platform since Palestinian Islamist group Hamas' surprise attack on Israel to comply with new EU online content rules.

As the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party is facing its tightest election race since 2015, with a risk of losing, a delegation from the Council of Europe voiced concerns about the fairness of the Polish electoral process.

'What is illegal offline should be illegal online' has been the EU's guiding concept in regulating the internet. Yet, politicians and experts continue to question whether ending online anonymity is the missing step towards reaching this ideal.

Since the illegal content moderation regulation took effect in the EU, disinformation campaigns used in elections have been in the spotlight, especially in Poland, where concerns have been voiced about biased media coverage and the ruling party's campaign methods.

X-owner Elon Musk said that he had gutted the platform's team dedicated to preserving election integrity as key votes in many countries are approaching.

France wants to make it harder to access and punish illegal behaviour online, according to a text on securing and regulating the digital environment that lawmakers agreed in committee.

The EU's regulation of disinformation and illegal content is being put to the test in Slovakia ahead of general elections at a time when some consider political leaders are using disinformation to boost their popularity with the electorate.

A survey published on Tuesday (19 September) revealed that 71% of German citizens and 57% of French citizens are concerned about the threats AI and deepfake technology poses to elections.

While the European Commission's directorate in charge of implementing the Digital Services Act (DSA) has yet to be finalised, the new team is already besieged by challenges, including legal complaints, NGOs' demands and alleged technical limitations.

While the European Commission's new directorate in charge of implementing the Digital Services Act has not yet been entirely completed, it already has to address a number of challenges: from cooperation with other entities to harmonisation within the bloc and potential skill shortages.

After armed men killed nine Chinese nationals at a gold mine in Central African Republic, a video circulated on the internet saying France had secretly ordered the attack and planned to discredit Russian mercenary group Wagner in the country.

Espionage, illegitimate influence peddling, disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks increased in Germany in 2022, with activities mainly linked to Russia, China, Iran, and Turkey, the report on the protection of the constitution published Tuesday (20 June) reads.

The French Senate questioned two French senior managers of the successful social network TikTok, who repeatedly admitted that they were unable to answer the questions put to them.

The European Parliament on Thursday (1 June) endorsed a report on countering foreign interference and information manipulation, calling for a whole-of-society approach to tackling the issue. 

Several far-right politicians in France have criticised statements from the European Commission and the French government that they would be willing to ban Twitter if it does not comply with EU regulation on societal risks and disinformation.

A clip lasting 14 seconds is presented by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as proof that his rival in Sunday's (14 May) election was running "hand in hand" with outlawed Kurdish militants.

The European Union and the US will strive to align on green tech, emerging technologies, and export control measures in a high-level meeting due later this month.

EU lawmakers adopted a resolution calling for coordinated action on foreign interference, warning of risks in the lead-up to next year’s European Parliament elections. 

In her draft report on the proposed European Media Freedom Act, the European Parliament's rapporteur reinforced a controversial content oversight provision and pushed for greater independence of a new regulatory body. 

Journalists have been at the forefront in covering the carnage and chaos of Russia's war in Ukraine but fighting Russian disinformation will require a societal effort going beyond the media sphere, stakeholders agree. "On 24 February, all Ukrainian journalists became war …

The CEOs of the largest social media companies must fight disinformation more effectively, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS, ECR), along with seven other European prime ministers, wrote in an open letter that warns against using platforms to incite riots, …

Russia's successful infiltration of media in the Balkans predates a possible invasion, thanks to a network of Kremlin-aligned businesspeople, politicians, and influence agents who shape editorial policies and amplify disinformation campaigns, write Goran Georgiev and Ruslan Stefanov.