Written by Naja Bentzen.
The global information ecosystem is facing challenges on various levels, necessitating a clear overview of the key issues at stake, the actors involved and possible European Union responses. On a geostrategic level, authoritarian state- and non-state actors, who work to game the open democratic information ecosystems in their favour, have gained the most visibility. At the same time, the tech companies that underpin those open information ecosystems – and that help provide the infrastructure used for information manipulation – are under pressure to take more responsibility.
Evolving technologies can exacerbate the risks of information ecosystems working against democracy, rather than for it. Moreover, underlying societal, educational and economic vulnerabilities hamper both individual and collective resilience against information manipulation. The impact on health, societies, economies, democracy, international decision-making, security and human rights has become increasingly visible in recent years. Correspondingly, there is a growing sense of urgency to ensure information integrity, both in the context of elections and beyond.
The EU has continued to strengthen its efforts to counter information manipulation and interference, including online disinformation, since 2015. The evolving measures have matured into a growing regulatory framework to address digital information infrastructure vulnerabilities and boost information ecosystems. This, in addition to strengthening societal resilience, involves a high level of cooperation and coordination within and beyond the EU, across all policy areas and with all levels of society. International and multilateral cooperation is therefore key to future-proofing the response.
Read the complete briefing on ‘Online information manipulation and information integrity: An overview of key challenges, actors and the EU’s evolving response‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.
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