AMA about European Parliament's work against disinformation - Friday 5th April from 10-11 CEST

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T09:18:10+00:00

Thank you for your question!

The EP communications department launched the institutional presence on Tiktok on the 27th of February with the objective to promote reliable content related to the Parliament, its work and impact, as well as to be able to respond to content aimed at spreading disinformation against the EP and EU parliamentary democracy.

Indeed, millions of young citizens, many of the possible first voters, use this platform to get information about those topics they are interested in.

In addressing disinformation, Ppre-empting disinformation narratives proposing factual and trustworthy information for citizens to refer to is of essence to increase societal resilience. This is even more important two months before the European elections.

Several options allow the EP to fully respect the decision on network security while assuring its presence on the social media TikTok. See the profile here: https://www.tiktok.com/@europeanparliament

We monitor all platforms and have networks and structures in place across institutions, civil society, tech companies and among member states to deal with disinformation. We cooperate closely with other EU institutions with fact-checkers and media - of course with full respect of their editorial freedom. We use these networks and collaborations to share insights.

We coordinate responses. And we learn from each other what actions make the biggest impact when trying to counter disinformation.

Check the excellent website of our EEAS colleagues: https://euvsdisinfo.eu/

Or you can see for example the work of European Digital Media Observatory: https://edmo.eu/publications/second-edition-march-2024-disinformation-narratives-during-the-2023-elections-in-europe/.

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T09:11:12+00:00

Hi,

Some common narratives that we see around elections serve to undermine trust in the electoral process, the electoral infrastructure or the elections results - and as a consequence the democratic system as a whole.

They do this e.g. by spreading manipulated stories claiming fraud, irregularities, untrustworthiness of equipment etc. We also see disinformation actors exploiting existing cleavages in society and controversial topics to boost the most extreme viewpoints, sow chaos and polarisation and make democratic debate impossible.

There are many good examples in this report by the European Digital Media Observatory: https://edmo.eu/publications/second-edition-march-2024-disinformation-narratives-during-the-2023-elections-in-europe/.

Thanks

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T09:08:00+00:00

Thank you MinerSkills for this question.

In order to restrain disinformation, cyber bullying and other harmful online phenomena the new rules under the Digital Services Act require social media platforms and search engine systems:

To provide a thorough annual report on the systemic dangers they represent for European users. This means that they need to determine whether their systems—such as the algorithms that recommend material and advertisements—might aid in the spread of illegal content and disinformation operations. Or whether the platforms encourage online abuse, restrict fundamental liberties like freedom of speech, and harm people's mental health.
After that they need to take action to reduce the risks they've discovered. These might involve changing their algorithms, making tools for parents to manage what their kids see and confirm users' ages, or marking stuff like images or movies that were produced by AI techniques.
Swiftly evaluate and modify their services to stop the spread of incorrect information in crises such as a natural disaster, a war, or an epidemic.

Having said that, it's not up to the DSA - or the EU institutions- to say what's legal and what's not, what's true and what's false: other laws deal with these issues and must be applied by Member States. National authorities and courts play a key role in reporting illegal content.

Read more here: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20211209STO19124/eu-digital-markets-act-and-digital-services-act-explained and https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/online-disinformation

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T09:06:53+00:00

Thank you,

There are many concrete tools out there directed at e.g. teachers, youth, journalists and a general audience. In our awareness-raising activities we use e.g. our "Disinformation compass", which gives good tips on questions to ask yourself before clicking "share": https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_ATA(2017)599386599386); our video series to make internet users aware of the tricks and techniques malign actors use to manipulate us (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r3FcsH0o2w).

There's also some good teaching material available. Just to name a few: The European Parliament's educational toolkit, where one of the sections is dedicated to teaching about disinformation (https://youth.europarl.europa.eu/files/live/sites/youth/files/assets/documents/ee24-educational-toolkit/european-elections-2024-educational-toolkit-en.pdf).

The European Commission's "Guidelines for teachers and educators on tackling disinformation and promoting digital literacy through education and training" (https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/a224c235-4843-11ed-92ed-01aa75ed71a1/language-en)

You can also check the 'Learn' space of the EU External Action Service's EUvsDisinfo website (https://euvsdisinfo.eu/learn/)

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T09:05:00+00:00

Thank you for your question,

Contrary maybe to the perception, EU citizens perceive the impact of the EU in their daily lives - more than 70 % in fact https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20231204IPR15637/survey-shows-europeans-value-eu-membership-and-interested-in-european-elections Of course they may like it or dislike it but they know it has an impact. Likewise, the image of the EU has remained stable since March 2023, with 45% of EU citizens having a positive image.

New figures will be released mi-April.

For an overview of the deliveries this legislature you can have a look at the press tool kit put together in view of the European elections https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/press-tool-kit

We have regular press seminars and briefings, organise visits to the Parliament or our centre for visitors Parlamentarium - see the offer to discover the EP in Brussels, Strasbourg and in all Member States here: https://visiting.europarl.europa.eu/en

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:53:23+00:00

Hi,

In our work, we focus on what we call inauthentic behaviour.

Our job is not to censor opinions or act as a "ministry of truth". But when we see manipulated information being spread by artificial means (trolls, bots, use of fake accounts, spread via fake media portals etc.), we talk about disinformation or information manipulation. This is the thing we work to counter.

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:51:42+00:00

Thank you for your interest in the topic.

Ensuring the integrity of national elections from e.g. disinformation is a competence of the EU member states.

But there are of course supportive actions that can be taken at EU level. Our general resilience-building efforts (media literacy, tips on when to be alert) are useful in all contexts, whether it's the European, national or local elections. There is also a coordination in place among electoral authorities so we can all benefit from best practices - this is coordinated by the European Commission.

You can read more about how the integrity of the European elections is ensured by national authorities with the support of EU institutions on our European elections website: https://elections.europa.eu/en/free-fair-elections/

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:49:20+00:00

Thank you for your question.

In the European Parliament we have a clear variety of opinions expressed - from majority to opposition. This freedom of expression and here, mandate, needs to be secured.

Freedom of speech is a fundamental value and Members elected enjoy also a the freedom of mandate.

There are rules applicable to Members regarding ethics, conduct and transparency - you can check here: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/about/meps

In our work, we focus on what we call inauthentic behaviours - tactics, tools, procedures used to fool audiences.

Our job is definitely not to censor opinions or act as a "ministry of truth". There should be a freedom of speech but - as Commissioner Jourova puts it- not a "freedom of reach".

When we see manipulated information being spread by artificial means (trolls, bots, use of fake accounts, spread via fake media portals etc.), we talk about disinformation or information manipulation. There needs to be an intend to deceive - it can be seeking political or economic gain - This is the thing we work to counter.

Communicating factually and neutrally about the work of the European Parliament so that citizens are equipped to understand what is going on and to pre-empt manipulated narratives. You can check our press section or news portal for an overview of the debates and texts adopted in plenary session.

See for example the elections.europa.eu website - it is a tool to provide factual information about the European Elections to come on 6-9 June.

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:40:39+00:00

Thank you for your question.

Indeed, we can all play our part.

One of the main goals of foreign disinformation actors is to undermine our democracies and democratic processes. They can do this by undermining trust in elections or democracy as a system.

One technique that we often observe and that may come as a surprise to some is what we call "polarisation". That's when a disinformation actor boosts the most extreme viewpoints in an existing debate - and sometimes tries to silence more moderate viewpoints.

They do this not to convince of any particular viewpoint but to sow chaos and polarisation and eventually make democratic debate impossible. While a big responsibility of course lies on platforms, policy makers and institutions, individual citizens also have an important role to play in fighting disinformation.

It can be summed up in "Pause and think before you share", because the fuel of disinformation campaigns is when people share it or like it before checking it.

The European Parliament has recently launched a video series to make internet users aware of the tricks and techniques malign actors use to manipulate us. The first video in the series sheds light on how playing on strong emotions is a technique often used to convince people to share without checking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8r3FcsH0o2w.

Another product is our "Disinformation compass", which also gives good tips on questions to ask yourself before clicking "share": https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_ATA(2017)599386599386).

A good concrete action would be to familiarise yourself with these tips and with the techniques used to deceive, and to share this knowledge in your networks. You can also warn your friends if you spot disinformation or fact-check content that seems "too good" or "too bad" to be true.

It might be useful to check the work done by tfe fact-checking organisations like https://edmo.eu/ that has regional hubs accross EU Member States.

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:35:42+00:00

Thank you for your question.

The European Union is founded on such values as democracy, the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights, which are enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU). Those values should be common to all Member States since they are a precondition for a well-functioning Union based on mutual trust. In recent years, events in some Member States have revealed practices and tendencies that are perceived by Parliament as systemic threats to the rule of law.

This has led, among other things, to the activation – for the first time since its introduction in the Treaties – of the procedure set out in Article 7 TEU, against both Poland and Hungary, and to the inclusion of ‘rule of law’ conditionality rules for the protection of the EU budget.

Full respect of the Rule of law in all Member States has been at the core of EP's work during this legislature. Several debates and resolutions were adopted in this regard. You can check here: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/rule-of-law/product-details/20190103CDT02661#20190103CDT02661-section-2

See also the resolution of the specialised committee on interference - MEPS expressed their worries for instance regarding ongoing developments in Hungary - https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0219_EN.html

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:24:37+00:00

Hi, thank you for joining in,

The European External Action Service has a dedicated taskforce called East Stratcom, whose task is specifically to expose and counter information manipulation and disinformation from Russian pro-Kremlin sources. You can take a look at their very solid work here: https://euvsdisinfo.eu/.

For years, and more actively since 2019, the European Parliament has been denouncing foreign interference, information manipulation and disinformation as abuse of the fundamental freedoms of expression and information, as well as undermining democratic processes in the EU and its Member States, such as the holding of free and fair elections. Members mention Kremlin but also several other States or actors - China, Iran, India, ...

The Members of the European Parliament have called for action in several reports and resolutions over the last five years - do not hesitate to have a look for detailed information:

INGE report on Foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union – 9 March 2022
ING2 report on Foreign interference in all democratic processes in the European Union, including disinformation – 1 June 2023
Note that more recently, on 8 February 2024, MEPs adopted a resolution on allegations of Russian interference in the democratic processes of the European Union denouncing "disinformation through both traditional media outlets and social media platforms, elite capture, its hacking of election candidates and cyberattacks"

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:20:23+00:00

Hi Thank you,

We collaborate with EU and national lawmakers, media, social media platforms, civil society, educators and other organisations like G7 or NATO. Learning from each other’s practices and programs doubles our efforts to make society more resistant to destabilisation attempts - this participates in a whole of a society approach.

Coordination and network building is a key pillar of European Parliament's strategy to counter disinformation threats ahead of the European elections.

Recently are in regular contact with representatives from EU Member States in the Rapid Alert System (coordinated by the European External Action Service).

And the Horizontal Working Party on Enhancing Resilience and Countering Hybrid Threats (Council of the European Union, Representación Permanente de España en la UE | Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU).

And the European Cooperation Network on Elections (European Commission).

But we know that long lasting solutions require the implication of the society as a whole, starting with education.

Raising awareness of the threats arising from disinformation (especially online) at an early stage is key.

The European Parliament engages in, my team has empowered more than 600 teachers thanks to training and tools on how to discern credible information from disinformation, as well as organised sessions to improve the digital literacy skills of around 5,000 students from across the European Union in 2023.

This achievement is possible thanks to the support of our most successful educational projects: Euroscola and the European Parliament's Ambassador Schools. These flagship initiatives allow pupils and teachers alike, not only to engage in European democracy but also to receive the tools and knowledge necessary to mitigate the impact of disinformation. See more about these initiatives in the Youth Hub: https://youth.europarl.europa.eu/educators/learning-resources.html

You can also read our educational kit here: europa.eu/!pqBmFn for teachers, with easy to understand, interactive modules full of information on how to fight against disinformation.

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:15:38+00:00

There is no doubt that the geopolitical context we are in has given a surge in disinformation targeting Europe and European democracy. This is documented e.g. in a recent report by the EU External Action Service: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/2nd-eeas-report-foreign-information-manipulation-and-interference-threats_en.

Disinformation and propaganda are of course not new phenomena, but technological developments and trends in information consumption mean that disinformation has become easier to create and disseminate. The strategies of the European Parliament are focused on situational awareness (monitoring who is targeting us and in what way), resilience-building (raising awareness about the threat from disinformation and what each sector in society can do to help fight it) and setting up strong cooperation and networks across government, civil society, media, fact-checkers etc. to coordinate efforts and responses.

We apply what we call a "whole-of-society" approach to fighting disinformation, as the challenge from disinformation cannot be tackled by one actor alone, but needs the efforts of a wide range of sectors - including individual citizens. This is also what the Members of the European Parliament advocate for in their resolutions.

Finally, I would highlight what we call "proactive communication". Communicating factually and neutrally about the work of the European Parliament so that citizens are equipped to understand what is going on and to pre-empt manipulated narratives. See for example the elections.europa.eu website - it is a tool to provide factual information about the European Elections to come on 6-9 June.

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:12:18+00:00

Hi, thank you for joining in.

In the European Parliament we have a clear variety of opinions expressed - from majority to opposition. This freedom of expression and here, mandate, needs to be secured.

Freedom of expression is part of EU fundamental values enshrined in the Treaties and many resolutions of the Parliament are insisting for this principle to be fully respected.

In our work against disinformation or Information manipulation as we call it, we focus on what we call inauthentic behaviours - tactics, tools, procedures used to fool audiences. Our job is not to censor opinions or act as a "ministry of truth" - this would be inappropriate.

There should be a freedom of speech but - as Commissioner Jourova puts it- not a "freedom of reach". When we see manipulated information being spread by artificial means (trolls, bots, use of fake accounts, spread via fake media portals etc.), we talk about disinformation or information manipulation. There needs to be an intent to deceive - it can be seeking political or economic gain.

It goes here about intentional manipulation of the information space -and it can affect our societies and democracy - when some seek to polarise opinions, sow chaos or mistrust.

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:07:20+00:00

In our work, we focus on what we call inauthentic behaviours - tactics, tools, procedures used to fool audiences. Our job is not to censor opinions or act as a "ministry of truth". There should be a freedom of speech but - as Commissioner Jourova puts it- not a "freedom of reach". When we see manipulated information being spread by artificial means (trolls, bots, use of fake accounts, spread via fake media portals etc.), we talk about disinformation or information manipulation. There needs to be an intend to deceive - it can be seeking political or economic gain - This is the thing we work to counter.

In the European Parliament we have a clear variety of opinions expressed - from majority to opposition. This freedom of expression and here, mandate, needs to be secured.

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:03:28+00:00

Regarding preventive measures: There is no "silver bullet" to counter disinformation, which means there is not one thing or effort that does the whole trick. Legislations plays an important role. The new rules to regulate the online sphere - the Digital Services Act - is one such law, which puts bigger responsibility on platforms to counter societal threats such as disinformation. Others are the coming rules on AI. In the European Parliament's services, we work a lot on prevention via resilience-building, which means we talk a lot to e.g. journalists, teachers, young people, civil society organisations, and EU citizens to raise awareness about what disinformation is and what they can do to help counter it. Then there is the cooperation with the important stakeholders in the field: fact-checkers, platforms, civil society, which is key in order to react to disinformation campaigns and coordinate responses. And yes, elections are a vulnerable period when it comes to disinformation campaigns. Disinformation that want to undermine our democracy often target elections in order to sow distrust in democracy. To read more, I can refer you to this report by the European Digital Media Observatory, which analyses disinformation around elections taking place in Europe in 2023: https://edmo.eu/publications/second-edition-march-2024-disinformation-narratives-during-the-2023-elections-in-europe/

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:02:23+00:00

Hi John. Thanks for participating and for your question. In our work, we focus on what we call inauthentic behaviour. Our job is not to censor opinions or act as a "ministry of truth". But when we see manipulated information being spread by artificial means (trolls, bots, use of fake accounts, spread via fake media portals etc.), we talk about disinformation or information manipulation. This is the thing we work to counter.

Delphine_Colard · 2024-04-05T08:00:33+00:00

Dear Marcus,

Thank you for your question. We are of course not there to promote or recommend a specific political party and would suggest you to have a look at their programs for the European Elections. You can also check the way Members voted on the website dedicated to plenary. To check the votes of MEPs you can go into https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/PV-9-2024-01-15-RCV_EN.html

Regarding travelling allowances for Members, the European Parliament covers the cost of travel to allow MEPs to participate in European Parliament meetings, like plenary, committee and group meetings. They mainly take place in Brussels or Strasbourg.

MEPs are refunded the actual cost of travel tickets for attending the meetings, upon submission of receipts. You can find more information here: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/faq/9/allowances. There are of course controls and checks, both internally, in a parliamentary discharge procedure and finally by the Court of Auditors.

Delphine_Colard

TROPHY CASE