Series Analysis - European Union: Case of Influence Operations and Disinformation
By Klitos Philippides
ABSTRACT
The year 2024 constitutes the biggest election year in history with 83 elections across 78 countries with more than 4 billion people expected to go to the polls, which represents nearly half of the world population.
In this new series, London Politica’s Intelligence Support Group and the Emergent Technologies department collaborate to provide in-depth case studies based on OSINT (Open Source Intelligence Analysis) investigation.
The European elections, held every five years, are a significant political event in which citizens of European Union (EU) member states elect Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). The most recent elections, which were held between June 6 and 9, 2024, produced a more divided parliament with the centre-right EPP emerging as the winner, the Center and the Greens losing seats, and the Eurosceptic parties making significant gains.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This investigation analyses 3 broader examples of mis/disinformation instances that were carried out by political parties, figures, or pro-Russian networks.
The influence operations vary, as they have been implemented by utilising different technological tools and platforms.
Political parties connected to the far-right alliance known as Identity and Democracy (ID) employed generative AI in their election campaigns ahead of the European Parliament elections in early June 2024.
A pro-Russian influence campaign involving Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk and the news portal Voice of Europe was discovered by the Czech and Polish authorities on March 27. Immediately after this discovery, the website momentarily went offline.
In Latvia, several political parties have been aggressively disseminating false information regarding the Green Deal, EU immigration policy, and government operations.
The European Union has unveiled the Defense of Democracy Package, a comprehensive package of measures designed to protect democratic processes and ensure the integrity of elections, in anticipation of the 2024 European elections.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) is another cornerstone of the EU's strategy to combat disinformation. It imposes stricter regulations on online platforms, enhancing their responsibility to monitor and remove illegal content, including disinformation.
