Ukraine, 7 Other European Countries Say Tech Firms Should Help Stop Wartime Disinformation

Eight countries in central and eastern Europe have joined forces to fight disinformation campaigns that try to make peace and democracy less stable, Reuters reports.

In an open letter signed by the respective prime ministers of Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the countries called on major tech companies, such as Meta's Facebook, to take action against the spread of disinformation.

European Countries Slam Disinformation Campaigns

The letter talks about how disinformation campaigns can be used to hurt democracies, stop countries from joining the European Union, and make it harder for people to back Ukraine when Russia is attacking.

The prime ministers asked big tech companies to ensure their platforms are not being used to spread propaganda or false information that promotes war, justifies war crimes, crimes against humanity, or other forms of violence through what they called "virtual battlegrounds."

One of the main points of the letter was the need for more transparency in the way algorithms are made, clearer rules and ways of enforcing them, and "refraining from accepting payments from individuals who have been sanctioned for their actions against democracy and human rights." The letter also emphasized the growing threat of deep fakes and artificial intelligence-generated disinformation.

Reuters reports that Meta has already responded to the call, improved its fact-checking in Eastern Europe, and taken steps to stop the spread of false information about the war in Ukraine.

Also, the company back in Sept. 2022 said that it had moved down content from Russian state-controlled media, making it harder for people in the EU and Ukraine to get to their sites, PBS tells us in a report.

The Role of Big Tech

The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) has members like Meta, Twitter, Amazon, and Google backed steps like Europe's Digital Services Act to fight fake news.

As stated in the letter, the work that these eight countries are doing together is a call to action against foreign manipulation and interference with information, which threatens democracy, stability, and national security.

Big tech companies have the power to be essential allies in the fight against hostile information attacks targeting democracies and the international rules-based order.

The Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, stated that the letter was "a call to action because foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation campaigns, pose a threat to democracy, stability, and national security."

He added, "we urge you to join forces with democratic governments and civil society and work together to protect the integrity of information and ensure the security of our societies."

The joint effort by these eight nations comes at a critical time when the world is grappling with the challenges of disinformation and foreign interference. The letter highlights the need for collective action and cooperation among governments, civil society, and tech companies to tackle this growing threat.

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