EU to Beef Up Efforts to Counter Fake News
November 13 2017 - 10:51AM
Dow Jones News
By Laurence Norman
BRUSSELS -- The European Union will beef up efforts to counter
disinformation and fake news, officials said Monday, as Spain's
foreign minister voiced concerns about Russian interference in
Catalonia's independence bid.
The bloc has come under fire for its modest efforts to push back
against what some member states say is orchestrated disinformation
attacks from Russia. The issue has divided members, with some
balking at any efforts that could be seen as EU-branded propaganda.
But as allegations of interference by Russia in the region's
elections have increased -- including from French President
Emmanuel Macron earlier this year -- calls for a more aggressive
response have increased.
On Monday, EU foreign ministers discussed where further work
could be done. EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini has
sought backing from capitals to increase the budget for countering
disinformation. Eight member states wrote to Ms. Mogherini last
month pressing Brussels to devote more financial resources to
fighting fake news and push back harder against attacks on the
bloc's work.
Meanwhile, the European Commission, the EU's executive body,
said it would set up a new experts group of 25 to 30 members on
fake news by January, consisting of individuals from academia,
media, and independent organizations. It also announced a public
consultation looking at the scope of the problem and possible
future action to improve citizens' access to "reliable and verified
information."
"We live in an era where the flow of information and
misinformation has become almost overwhelming," said European
Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans. "That is why we need to
give our citizens the tools to identify fake news, improve trust
online, and manage the information they receive."
The debate in Europe comes amid the continued fallout in the
U.S. from allegations of Russian interference in the U.S.
presidential election. Russian officials have repeatedly denied any
government efforts to interfere in Western elections. U.S.
President Donald Trump, after meeting with Mr. Putin at an economic
summit in Vietnam, told reporters this weekend he believed Mr.
Putin's denials.
Over the past two years, the EU has drawn on expertise from
member states to create three task forces, with a staff of 20,
dealing with Russian disinformation campaigns, countering online
messages from Islamic State and providing information about EU work
in the western Balkans. However, the task forces have no dedicated
budget and borrow staff from member states.
Tech firms have been wary of initiatives that might impinge on
freedom of expression. However following pressure from the U.K.,
French and German governments, Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s
Google have rolled out initiatives and tools in Europe aimed at
slowing the spread of online misinformation by flagging false or
hoax news articles for readers. Google has implemented its own
fact-check tool in several European countries.
Yet warnings continue to emerge that Europe wasn't coming to
grips with the problems and fresh allegations of interference.
On Monday, Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis raised with
his counterparts Spanish concerns about the information spread by
Russian media and other sources after the Catalan referendum,
officials said.
Ahead of the meeting, he also accused WikiLeaks founder Julian
Assange of promoting the Catalan bid to secede and portraying Spain
as an authoritative state.
"There are many indications that suggest that this man and
others have tried to interfere and manipulate and affect what
should be a democratic process in Catalonia."
Mr. Assange has publicly dismissed the criticism, saying Spain's
government was trying to shift blame for the political crisis.
Last week, the top North Atlantic Treaty Organization and U.S.
commanders warned against Russian interference in European
affairs.
"We would encourage Russia to stay within the accepted
international order and honor each sovereign nation's right to
determine their means of government, their way of government and
how they run their government, " Gen. Scaparrotti said.
Jeannette Neumann in Madrid, Natalia Drozdiak and Julian Barnes
in Brussels contributed to this article.
Write to Laurence Norman at laurence.norman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 13, 2017 10:36 ET (15:36 GMT)
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