Russia’s war against Ukraine has accelerated the process of states ‘weaponising information’ and disinformation and the EU needs to refocus its efforts on tackling attempts at disinformation and manipulation around elections, said an EU official at a recent event hosted by EURACTIV.
“There is no doubt that democracy is under threat, we see that in Europe and the United States. If we don’t fight for it, it will be lost,” said Wojtech Talko, a member of EU values and transparency commissioner Vera Jourová’s cabinet.
“It is too easy and too cheap to do it (disinformation) for money,” he added.
“The Russian war in Ukraine has accelerated everything, we are now seeing what countries in central and eastern European have been saying for many years. Russia is weaponising information, they not only fight with bombs and rockets but with words. They’ve gained a vast array of new powerful tools,” said the European Commission official.
That has prompted growing concern among EU officials about the prospect of new attempts by foreign actors to influence elections and political activity across the bloc.
In response, the EU lawmakers have unveiled a series of legislative reforms aimed at curbing foreign financial influence over political parties and elections and political advertising, as part of a broader European Democracy Action Plan.
Asked how tech companies can reinforce and strengthen European democracy, Nanna-Louise Linde, Vice-President of European Government Affairs for Microsoft, said that “digital technology plays a role as a weapon but it can also serve as a tool to protect democratic values.”
“We can help combat disinformation,” she added.
“The main driver of disinformation is Facebook’s algorithm, which recommends content based on engagement,” said Fernando Hortal Foronda, Digital Policy Officer at the European Partnership for Democracy.
There have been indications in recent weeks that some tech giants are lobbying hard to limit the scope of the EU’s draft Political Advertising regulation, which forms part of the bloc’s Democracy Action Plan, and is aimed at boosting political advertising transparency and tackling disinformation in election campaigns.
EU legislators want the draft law to be in place ahead of the next European Parliament elections, scheduled for spring 2024.
Emails seen by EURACTIV last month show that Google and the tech trade association DOT Europe, fear that the current scope of the European Commission’s text would create too broad a definition for what is ‘political’ and ‘advertising’.
Tech firms and polticians have also expressed concern about the need to ensure that new laws do not blur the differentiation between editorial and other content in a way that could impact freedom of expression and speech.
“We know that some actors are very bad are working out when an advert is political or not,” said Fernando Hortal Foronda. “But when big tech dedicates resources they are effective,” he added.
EU ministers are taking a particularly tough stance on the rules on political advertising in the final month leading up to an election, backing amendments to the law that would require advertising providers to address notifications and supply information about adverts within 48 hours.
Source: euractiv.com
