An EU commissioner raises concerns about the potential threat of information warfare with Russia. She particularly emphasizes the risks of false reports and the use of artificial intelligence, which are becoming increasingly important before the European elections.
Vera Jourova, EU Commissioner for Values and Transparency, expresses concerns about the threat of an information war with Russia, especially in view of the upcoming European elections. This is reported by the “Handelsblatt”. The Commissioner noted Russia’s propaganda and brainwashing capabilities.
Jourova finds the combination of disinformation and artificial intelligence (AI) particularly alarming. This, she says, is “fatal”. Reports collected by the EU from large platform operators such as Meta and Alphabet provide evidence of the use of AI in the spread of disinformation. These companies are expected to share their findings with the EU again in March.
Since Russia’s war against Ukraine, security authorities have noted increased disinformation campaigns. According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the authors of these campaigns are Russian government agencies, state-supported media and pro-Kremlin accounts on social networks. Their goal is to influence public opinion and create social divisions by spreading disinformation. “Especially against the background of the upcoming European elections, an increased number of attacks can currently be expected,” said a spokeswoman for the Federal Office for Information Security of the German Press Agency.
The EU Commissioner warns in particular against Russian propaganda that is sowing doubts about the legitimacy of the upcoming European elections in June. She draws parallels here with the 2020 US election, in which then-President Donald Trump made claims about illegal votes. “Hidden manipulation can radically change the election campaign,” Handelsblatt quotes Jourova as saying. She emphasizes that such false reports sow distrust and weaken democracy, which makes the information war particularly dangerous, even when no traditional weapons are used.
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