EU investigates pro-Russian disinformation linked to street protests
According to the Financial Times, European regulators are investigating possible ‘online interference’ from Moscow, Iran and Algeria
The EU regulatory authorities are investigating possible ‘online interference’ and ‘disinformation campaigns’ from non-EU countries that may have helped to fuel the protests in France and similar incidents of violence that have occurred in recent days in other EU countries. This is reported by the Financial Times, citing security officials, who claim that pro-Russian and far-right social media accounts – already linked to previous disinformation campaigns – have been circulating violent videos in an attempt to further fuel the chaos. Among the countries suspected of being involved are Iran and Algeria.
The financial newspaper notes that violent protests also took place in Italia last weekend and that the Defence Minister, Guido Crosetto, attributed the unrest to «a hybrid war that someone is waging against our nations through unconventional means such as TikTok, social media and YouTube’.
The European Commission, the Financial Times reports, met with the French authorities this week to discuss cooperation with social media platforms, including Elon Musk’s X, which have allowed racist and violent messages to go viral. Regulators are asking online marketplaces such as Amazon and Vinted to block the sale of goods that appear to have been looted.
Furthermore, according to the EU’s diplomatic service, France is the second most targeted country in continental Europe, after Ukraine, when it comes to state-sponsored manipulation of information. Finally, the British newspaper notes that on Monday the European Commission met with Arcom, the French media regulator, whilst on Tuesday representatives of the authorities from all Member States responsible for enforcing digital regulations held a meeting.
The Commission has stated that, for the time being, the situation is being managed by the national authorities, but Brussels will intervene if the risk were to become ‘systemic’ and the online platforms failed to cooperate. “Platforms must ensure that their algorithms are not misused in such a context. This includes any attempt to amplify such violence and incidents,” said spokesperson Thomas Regnier.
