About: fake news
Austrian digital expert: Well-made disinformation is emotionally intelligent
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a flood of disinformation: Fictitious numbers of infection, ineffective treatments or false insider information. The Austrian author and digital expert Ingrid Brodnig, who monitors such cases, explains to EURACTIV Germany how and why coronavirus created a breeding ground for disinformation.
Ukraine struggles to debunk fake virus news
The water service in Odessa, a port city in southern Ukraine, was suddenly overrun this week with calls from worried residents with a peculiar concern.
Russia deploying coronavirus disinformation to sow panic in West, EU document says
Russian media have deployed a "significant disinformation campaign" against the West to worsen the impact of the coronavirus, generate panic and sow distrust, according to a European Union document seen by Reuters.
EU auditors probe bloc’s disinformation fight amid COVID-19 concerns
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) has launched a probe into the resilience of the bloc's attempts to stifle fake news that can 'cause public harm,' the institution announced on Tuesday (17 March).
Amid migrant crisis, Greece-Turkey conflict plays out on social media
Greeks and Turks are waging a proxy war on social media with photos, video and commentary purporting to show the other side behaving badly in a migrant crisis that has seriously strained already tense relations between Athens and Ankara.
EU Rapid Alert System used amid coronavirus disinformation campaign
An EU instrument designed to monitor serious cases of disinformation has been triggered following a series of online campaigns surrounding the deadly coronavirus outbreak, the European Commission has confirmed.
Facebook says it dismantles Russian intelligence operation targeting Ukraine
Facebook on Wednesday (12 February) said it had suspended a network of accounts used by Russian military intelligence to seed false narratives online targeting Ukraine and other countries in Eastern Europe.
Facebook ‘on the side of free expression’ as EU steps up disinformation fight
Social media giant Facebook has warned against curtailing freedom of expression as the EU considers measures to clamp down on disinformation campaigns across online platforms.
EU mulls disinformation regulation but admits alert system has ‘never been triggered’
The case for the EU regulation of online disinformation "will be evaluated" in the coming months ahead of a decision in early 2020, a Commission official revealed on Tuesday (29 October). At the same time, the EU's executive conceded that its disinformation alert system has never been triggered.
Fighting ‘fake news’ online: How soldiers in Latvia got fooled by bots
When NATO's Centre for Strategic Communication in Riga discovered how easy it was to dupe its soldiers online, it has started looking for ways of countering false information, which comes, in large part, from Russia. EURACTIV's media partner der Tagesspiegel reports.
‘New generation of disinformation’ awaits next Commission, says rights group
Disinformation campaigns are becoming increasingly sophisticated and are developing almost unregulated, according to civil rights activists who say the European Commission's relying on the self-regulation of social media platforms is no longer enough.
Member states differ in combating disinformation, EU report says
The approach to tackling disinformation across the EU "varies greatly across member states," says a report produced by the outgoing Romanian Presidency. The document was distributed to national delegations ahead of the European Council summit, which concluded that "sustained efforts" were required in the fight against fake news.
Trump launches 2020 reelection campaign, calling US ‘envy of the world’
President Donald Trump launched his 2020 reelection campaign Tuesday (18 June), whipping up a crowd of at least 20,000 with a nationalist boast about the US economy being the "envy" of the world and warning that opposition Democrats want to "destroy" the country.
Facebook to work with ‘trustworthy’ media after Russian fake news offensive
Facebook said it will enable “trustworthy” news publishers to generate additional revenue on its social media site, following EU accusations of Russian meddling in last month's European election campaign.
Digital Brief: Far-right falsities
It’s election time. With the Brits and the Dutch heading to the polls today, the big news of the week is the story that Facebook has removed around 80 pages spreading fake news or using tactics aimed at unfairly influencing the polls.
Facebook shuts dozens of fake-news pages ahead of EU vote
Facebook has taken down nearly 80 pages spreading fake news or using tactics that appeared aimed at unfairly influencing the European Parliament vote this weekend, an NGO reported Wednesday (22 May).
Google, Facebook, Twitter rapped for not doing enough in EU fake news fight
Facebook, Google and Twitter were reprimanded by the European Commission on Friday (17 May) for not doing enough to tackle fake news plaguing the election campaign to the European Parliament, seven months after promising to do more.
European election candidates consider next steps for EU media policy
Lead candidates for the upcoming European elections are pondering ways of safeguarding the media sector's integrity in light of persistent economic challenges and emerging threats like Russian disinformation.
Facebook takes down fake Italian accounts ahead of EU election
Facebook said on Sunday (12 May) it had taken down numerous Italian accounts on its platform that were false or were spreading fake news ahead of a European parliamentary election later this month.
Greece threatens to raise Facebook’s fact-checking issue at EU Council
The Greek government has lashed out against Facebook, after the social media platform decided to partner with a “controversial” fact-checker in the country. Athens says it is now prepared to raise the issue at an EU level, unless it gets satisfactory answers.
In the fight against fake news, YouTube has a ‘bias toward keeping content up’
YouTube has a systemic 'bias towards keeping content up,' although the video-sharing platform recently removed more than one million channels for violation of its policies as part of the EU's code of practice against disinformation, EURACTIV has learnt.
As election looms, Spaniards are hit by WhatsApp disinformation campaign
Spanish citizens have been subject to a series of disinformation campaigns ranging from fake news about Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez signing a Catalan independence deal, to conspiracies about migrants and propaganda against gay people, a new study has found.
Juncker vows to fight Brussels-bashing before European elections
EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has vowed to crack down on Brussels-bashing in the run up to next month's European elections.