Head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell believes that the 2024 elections worldwide will be the main target for countries like Russia seeking to spread disinformation and undermine democracy. He expressed this view during the presentation of the second annual EU disinformation report. This is reported by Euractiv.
He emphasized that security today is about information and how people receive ideas and facts that will later determine citizens' choices.
"One of the most serious threats of our time is not a bomb that can kill you but a poison that can colonize your mind," Borrell said in his keynote speech.
The EU's chief diplomat also compared unchecked harmful content to cancer, posing a threat to the health of democracy:
"But we have tools to effectively combat this disease. We have potential; we need more."
Borrell cited an incident in France after the Hamas terrorist group's attack on Israel on October 7, where more than 200 Stars of David were discovered on some buildings in Paris. He noted that Russian bots exacerbated tensions after this incident by spreading 2,500 posts on social media to sow discord.
In the EU report, over 750 disinformation attacks were analyzed from December 2022 to November of the previous year. These attacks included the spread of false stories, persecution of legitimate sources to reduce trust in state institutions, and the incitement of hatred towards specific nations and groups of people.
According to EU diplomatic service researchers (EEAS), Ukraine was the most frequent target of these attacks. Additionally, 149 organizations, including media outlets like Euronews, Reuters, Deutsche Welle, New York Times, and others, were also targeted.
