2024 elections will be main target of Russian disinformation campaigns – EU diplomacy chief

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, believes that elections to be held this year in various countries around the world will be a major target for disinformation by countries such as Russia which seek to undermine democracy.

Source: European Pravda with reference to Euractiv

Details: Borrell said that 2024 is a "critical year to fight" foreign information manipulation and interference. He warned that "elections will become the prime target for malign foreign actors".

"One of the most significant threats of our time is not about a bomb that can kill you, it’s about a poison that can colonise your mind and how to address it," Borrell said in his keynote speech, presenting the publication of the EU's second annual disinformation report.

He pointed out that security is no longer a matter of weapons and armies, but of information and how people receive ideas and facts that will later determine how citizens choose their government.

"Keep in mind that unchecked malicious content spreads like cancer and puts the health of the democracy at risk, but we have the tools to effectively fight against this disease. We have the capacity, we need more," Borrell added.

Presenting the report, Borrell cited an incident in France following Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October, when more than 200 Stars of David were found on a number of buildings in Paris.

He said that the tension after this incident had been exacerbated by more than a thousand Russian bots that published 2,500 posts on social media in an attempt to sow discord.

"The Russian perpetrators identified a faultline in European society and exploited it," Borrell said.

The EU report analysed more than 750 disinformation attacks from December 2022 to November 2023, which included spreading false stories and harassing legitimate sources to undermine trust in state institutions and sow hatred against nations and groups of people.

Background:

• Earlier, the United States stated that Russia would conduct information operations aimed at turning public opinion against Ukraine ahead of elections in various European countries.
• Recently, the media reported that Russia is stepping up efforts to undermine French support for Kyiv and that its propaganda efforts are part of the war against Ukraine.
• Prior to that, the US Department of State said that Russia was funding a long-term, well-paid disinformation campaign, particularly against Ukraine in Latin America.
• The United States also released a US intelligence report sent to more than 100 countries, which states that Moscow is using spies, social media and Russian state-owned media outlets to undermine public confidence in the integrity of democratic elections around the world.

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