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.
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Organizations mentioned
- Pages
- 12
- Published in
- Belgium
Table of Contents
- Summary 1
- Timeline: Information manipulation and the EU's response 2
- Introduction 3
- Changing terminology reflects the evolving policy response 3
- Shifting focus from content to behaviour 3
- Actors and enabling factors 4
- Key foreign authoritarian state and non-state actors 4
- Business actors and factors 4
- Online platforms and search engines 4
- Human and societal factors: Appetite for toxicity? 5
- The impact of information manipulation: Why it matters 5
- Gendered disinformation: A global challenge to democracy 6
- The EU's evolving response to information manipulation 7
- External dimension 7
- Digital dimension 7
- Digital Services Act 7
- Strengthened Code of Practice 8
- European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) 9
- Next steps 9
- Regulation on transparency and targeting of political advertising (TTPA) 9
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act and AI Office 9
- European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) 10
- The role of the European Parliament 10
- Information integrity: Sustainable ecosystems at home and abroad 11
- Outlook: Shielding democracy through digital defence, enforcement and resilience 11