Fighting disinformation to safeguard democracy

In today’s digital age, combating disinformation is crucial to safeguarding democracy. Here, John Comer, rapporteur for the EESC explores the evolution of misinformation, its consequences, and strategies to empower citizens and protect democratic institutions

Disinformation can be defined as false, inaccurate or misleading information deliberately created and spread to deceive the public and influence public opinion

Misinformation can be defined as false and inaccurate information, including gossip and rumours spread without malicious intent.

Online disinformation erodes trust in state institutions, media and scientific experts. Various bizarre conspiracies are promoted and widely spread on social media, leading to a false understanding of the real world.

The most obvious way that disinformation distorts and undermines democratic debate is by convincing people to believe things that are untrue. Disinformation and misinformation are not new phenomena. Social media has revolutionised its spread.

The evolution of disinformation in the digital age

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has led to the development of new forms of disinformation and misinformation that use AI and algorithms to mislead or to change the original meaning of something.

Deep fakes use AI to manipulate and generate visual and audio content with the potential to deliberately deceive millions of people by spreading fake news.

The consequences of disinformation

Wrong information and conspiracy theories about the COVID–19 pandemic, the 6 January attack on the United States Capitol and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have shown the consequences of disinformation and false narratives, leading to the widespread erosion of trust in democratic institutions and the media.

Many people refuse to believe anything said by government institutions, scientific experts and the media. Social media has facilitated the rapid spread of disinformation to millions of people.

What challenges to democracy is disinformation presenting?

Democracies are facing massive disinformation and foreign interference operations with the potential to destabilise democratic institutions and undermine citizens’ trust in democratic institutions. Hybrid threats are becoming more sophisticated and more difficult to detect.

According to the EU hybrid fusion cell, established in 2016 within the European External Action Service (EEAS), hybrid threads by Russia pose the greatest threat because they are systematic, well-resourced and on a different scale to other countries.

EU initiatives and responses

The Strategic Compass, adopted by the EU in March 2022, sets out a plan of action for strengthening the EU security and defence policy by 2030. One of its aspects is the development of a toolbox to counter foreign information and interference threats.

In a 2018 Eurobarometer survey, 83% of respondents said that fake news represented a danger to democracy and that they were especially concerned about disinformation aimed at influencing elections and immigration policies.

Many people are alienated from society due to social and economic disadvantages and become very receptive to accepting fake news, wrongly believing that it will help them to improve their situation.

For decades we have been witnessing a steady increase in inequalities in income and wealth and in social disharmony, leading to a breakdown of society and the emergence of separate communities whose convictions are strengthened and reinforced by the use of their specific digital networks. The vulnerable people who lose out as a result of these developments are easy prey for certain types of disinformation.

Alienation from society and a belief that something wonderful from the past has been lost are emerging as serious issues in the spread of disinformation and fake news among vulnerable communities who feel that contemporary society has left them isolated and abandoned. The EESC recommends that all EU policies be reinforced to deal with this problem, in order to reduce inequalities and promote social cohesion.

Democracy in the EU is facing major challenges, from rising extremism and election interference to hybrid threats. Safeguarding our European democratic system requires determined action to protect the electoral processes, to ensure that elections continue to be free and fair.

It is self-evident that social media platforms are not taking sufficient action to take down disinformation. Data collection and targeted advertisements by social media companies need to be regulated. The key problem remains that all these social platforms are financed by advertising, and it is extremely difficult to control them in the context of disinformation.

The technological means to fight disinformation exist, but they are not being adequately used by social platforms to take down disinformation. Stronger legislation may be necessary to achieve this objective.

Empowering citizens

We need to empower citizens and enable them to detect and be able to respond to online disinformation. The education system must enable students by means of critical reflection and critical assessment to be able to detect disinformation, and make of them independent assessors of what they read and see.

The Commission and the Member States need greater coordination and resources in facing hybrid threats.

Many studies reveal that Europe has a problem with pluralism in the media. A necessary first step to guaranteeing that pluralism is not dependent on strict market rules is to classify journalism as a European public good, as suggested by UNESCO.

The Commission should study the viability of a public European news channel, available on different platforms and in all national languages, with an independent editorial commitment that allows European citizens to assess the information they need to make informed choices.

An adequately financed and independent public service media is also essential for ensuringthat the public have access to good quality information that is free and fair.

Long-term strategies for safeguarding democracy

The threats to our democratic system posed by disinformation and misinformation are very real, especially in the lead–up to the 2024 elections. These threats are also a long-term problem, and we must develop strategies not only for the short term but also for the long term to ensure that we protect our democratic system in the EU.

This piece was written and provided by John Comer, rapporteur for the EESC opinion on Safeguarding Democracy Against Disinformation