cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/8261971

Here is the original report: Disinformation diplomacy: How malign actors are seeking to undermine democracy

"The information environment is increasingly being weaponised by malign state actors such as Russia, China and Iran and non-state actors like Daesh to sow distrust, undermine cohesion, and erode confidence in democratic institutions and norms," UK lawmakers warn in a report.

"Although this threat is not a new phenomenon, the scale and sophistication of foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) is increasingly recognised as an existential threat to democratic societies."

The report presents particularly Russia as a clear threat for the UK and transatlantic security.

"Russia’s behaviour is that of a state at war against the West, and this will not change whilst Putin is in power. Therefore, it is vital that the Government ensures the UK and its allies harden their information ecosystems to make them an impenetrable and unattractive target of Russian interference."

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China is a multifaceted actor who is known to utilise a diverse toolkit including foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), economic coercion, transnational repression, and cyber-attacks to conduct foreign interference. In comparison to Russia, the Chinese approach to FIMI is more institutionalised and heavily invested in information laundering official Chinese Communist Party narratives to achieve, as James Kynge Senior Research Fellow for China and the World at Chatham House explained, President Xi Jinping’s “telling China’s story well” mantra.36 This approach seeks to emphasise Chinese successes, diminish negative content, and push Beijing friendly framing of issues of concern.

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The report mentions, among others, disinformation campaigns like Russia's Doppelganger or China's Spamouflage.

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Social media companies, should be required to make algorithms transparent to the public for research and to produce annual reports on disinformation.

"We also considered evidence from social media companies, given their potential central role in limiting the dissemination of FIMI. We remain dissatisfied with their actions to combat foreign interference and the lack of transparency around algorithmic systems that can be exploited by malign actors. We call on the Government to amend the Online Safety Act 2023 to ensure social media companies are required to provide algorithmic transparency to safeguard against manipulation."

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Whilst lawmakers recognise the wider pressures on public spending, they call on the UK Government "to increase its coordination with European and other allies."

"We therefore call on the Government to enhance its public communications and establish a centralised National Counter Disinformation Centre to improve coordination and response. This approach would complement international examples from allies like Sweden’s Psychological Defence Agency, Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation and France’s Vigilance and Protection against Foreign Digital Interference service (VIGINUM)."

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