PM says France is the top EU target for foreign disinformation campaigns

In early February this year, a French government report came to light claiming that Romania's presidential election was the target of a campaign to manipulate the TikTok algorithm. According to the document, Calin Georgescu's popularity increased several times in the last two weeks before the first round of voting. Macron's people came up with harsh accusations and stated that this increase could not be accidental. Just days after the French rep…

France is, after Ukraine, "the country most targeted in Europe by attempts to manipulate from abroad" in information matters, says French Prime Minister François Bayrou.

PM says France is the top EU target for foreign disinformation campaigns

Citing an EU diplomatic report, French Prime Minister François Bayrou said that, after Ukraine, France was the leading European target for foreign disinformation, with 152 incidents reported between 2023 and 2024.

DMZ – SOCIETY / LIFE ¦ Peter Metzinger ¦ Astroturfing, Content Farming and the sleeper effect are just some of the techniques used to spread false stories, manipulate public opinion and sow discord. If we understand the strategies of those who try to deceive and misinform, we can better arm ourselves to find our way around the complex and often treacherous landscape of the Internet. ASTROTURFING DEFINITION Astroturfing is a term that describes t…

Ramón Salaverría, a specialist in disinformation, criticizes politicians for often being the propagators of false narratives, “at a time when the emotion that is being appealed to is hate”.

France is top EU target for foreign disinformation: PM

France has in recent years witnessed more disinformation campaigns coming “from abroad” including Russia than any other European country apart from Ukraine, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Friday. “France is a prime target,” Bayrou said at a forum organised by Viginum, a French government agency mandated to detect disinformation, adding that information wars have worsened “in the context of ongoing conflicts and geopolitical tensions”. “W…