Democratic Defence against Disinformation — The Need for a United Transatlantic Response

Daniel Fried, Distinguished Fellow, Future Europe Initiative, Atlantic Council

The transatlantic community is finally organising itself to defend against a new form of an old challenge. Autocratic and aggressive Russia has adopted 21st century technologies to increase the reach of its propaganda. Officially-sponsored (directly or otherwise) use of bots, trolls, and other techniques to exploit social media platforms and enter the public dialogue and political space of the US and other countries has been going on for years, especially in Europe’s East. But the reach of Russian disinformation in the US 2016 election campaign, and Russian use of such techniques in countries of Western Europe, alarmed Americans and others. Many who believed that Russian aggression had nothing to do with them discovered their error. Where Russia has begun, other governments of similar mind will follow.

In an Atlantic Council Report published last February, ‘Democratic Defense Against Disinformation,’ Alina Polyakova and I — benefiting from substantial advice from Swedish and other European colleagues — urged that the transatlantic community unite in common purpose to deal with Russian and other sources of foreign disinformation. Our first principle was that transatlantic responses must be consistent with our democratic norms and principles, and that an effective response must include governments, social media companies, and civil society, working together.

The paper’s two most ambitious recommendations included the establishment of a transatlantic ‘CounterDisinformation Coalition,’ including governments, social media companies, and civil society, to share information about the evolving disinformation threat and develop best practices against it. An early task of this Coalition should be development of a voluntary code of conduct, including governments and social media companies. The paper also recommended
greater on-line transparency, including through legislation and regulation; support for civil society groups that seek to expose disinformation campaigns; and support for long-term social resilience through education and training.

Since the report’s publication, the EU, some European national governments, and social media companies have advanced their thinking and policies. The transatlantic community appears to be moving from a phase of ‘admiring the problem’ to seeking practical solutions. Indeed, US, EU and European governments, notwithstanding policy and other differences, have been moving in converging directions, pushing once-reluctant social media companies to greater responsibility for finding solutions and supporting civil society groups dedicated to exposing disinformation.

Recent actions include:

• A significant shift in declaratory policy by major social media companies, e.g. Facebook, Google, YouTube, and Mozilla. These companies have moved from denial to public commitments to combat disinformation and have announced policy steps to this end
• In the United States:

— The US Congress has pressed social media companies to become more active in combatting information manipulation through repeated hearings.

— The US State Department’s Global Engagement Center received its first funding of $20 million and is using it to fund organisations working to counter disinformation on the frontlines in Europe.

— The State Department is informally coordinating with the EU and like-minded European governments about common best practices.

— The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is leading an interagency effort to counter malign influence, including disinformation, which includes the intelligence agencies, State, and the Department of Defense.

— Treasury has moved ahead with sanctions related to Russian cyber and election-related interference.

• In Europe:

— The European Commission has developed recommendations to combat disinformation (1) and EU Council Conclusions of June 28 call for an action plan by December 2018. This process has generated an EU Code of Practice on Disinformation to which major social media companies have signed on.

— The European Commission’s recommendations also include creating of an independent European network of fact-checkers, though funding remains an issue, and a ‘multi-stakeholder forum on disinformation’.

— In France, the National Assembly introduced legislation to counter information manipulation around elections. The law would require a judge to decide in 48 hours whether a piece of false online content constitutes information manipulation and allows the government to suspend (temporarily) and foreign news agency that deliberately disseminates false news.

The basis for a sustained transatlantic campaign to counter disinformation may be developing. Despite other transatlantic differences on some issues, this is an area of common assessment of a problem and common action. Next steps could include whether the EU Code of Practices could be linked to similar US guidelines and what the best institutional vehicle could be for long-term coordination of efforts, bringing together official, business, and civil society lines of effort. Finally, the US and Europe need to maintain sustained political support for counter-disinformation efforts. This effort will take time and an all-of-society approach.

(1) Communication from the Commission: Tackling online disinformation: A European Approach, 26 April. 2018, COM(2018) 236 final