Information warfare: Europe tallies digital assaults and works on countermeasures

Our modes of communication, notably through social media communities and messaging loops, provide a fertile ground for disinformation campaigns.

The phenomenon is so massive that the European External Action Service (EEAS) – the body handling the EU’s diplomatic relations with non-member countries and shaping the Union’s foreign and security policies – has just released the fourth edition of its annual report dedicated to informational interference operations targeting the 27-member bloc.

To decipher the web of social media accounts and the myriad of interactions among them in shaping public discourse (by highlighting specific topics or news analysis biases), the EU diplomatic service launched a platform. It’s called Fimi-Explorer (Fimi stands for the English acronym for threats of manipulation and foreign interference) and allows internet users to navigate between online publications and social media sites. These platforms serve as relays and amplifiers of fake news, especially related to international events and desired perceptions of ongoing conflicts.

France is highly exposed, following Ukraine, as the second most targeted nation by foreign-origin disinformation campaigns, among the dozens of countries analyzed. The targeting can shift, especially during ongoing electoral campaigns in democratic nations.

These activities are primarily politically motivated but are widely carried out by private actors who commercialize or exchange their services with state authorities seeking to destabilize adversarial governments.

Context: The article discusses how disinformation campaigns thrive in the realm of social media and the need for proactive measures to combat them.

Fact Check: The content discusses the proliferation of disinformation campaigns and the steps being taken to counter them at an international level.