EU Records Highest Ever Level of Disinformation Related to EU Elections

The European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) recorded the highest level of EU-related disinformation on online platforms in May, a month before the European Parliament elections. 

This was reported by Politico, citing an official assessment by the European Commission.

But this wave of activity did not lead to a ‘serious incident that could disrupt the elections,’ said Věra Jourová, Vice-President of the European Commission, before the start of the General Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

She will present the results of her so-called ‘democracy tour’ last spring, during which she visited a dozen EU countries to raise awareness of election manipulation by unscrupulous actors.

‘I felt the pressure to ring the bell for the integrity of the elections and to protect them from manipulation and interference by Putin and others,’ Yurova said.

At the beginning of this important election year, there were fears that artificial intelligence - namely highly manipulative fakes - could destabilise the electoral process.

These fears have not been realised, and the technology has not been used to a ‘significant extent’, according to the EU analysis.

The German foreign minister recently said that Russian disinformation is particularly targeting young people.

In general, Germany has been considered one of the main targets of Russian disinformation for at least two years.