Advocacy

The EU DisinfoLab welcomes the European Commission’s European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) proposal. However, we are concerned about the introduction of Article 17 which could undo much of the progress done in the fight against disinformation.

The EU DisinfoLab welcomes the new Code of Practice on Disinformation that was revealed in June 2022 as a promising step forward, especially when it becomes a co-regulatory mechanism with the DSA.

The Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU’s groundbreaking law on internet safety and accountability that will introduce a sweeping change to our online environment, was agreed on Friday April 22nd.

EU lawmakers call on platforms to do more in response to disinformation in Ukraine. However, current legislative discussions would have them do less.

Journalists, fact-checkers, and disinformation researchers urge MEPs to reject any DSA proposal that would include a media exemption. 

The letter has been co-signed by over 50 leading organisations and individuals from across the European Union, including, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, Reporters Without Borders, Transparency International EU and Avaaz, with a cross-section of researchers, educators, journalists, academics, and activists from across the EU and beyond.

On 29 May 2021, a New York Times article indicated that EU DisinfoLab was one of the targets of a cyberattack. EU DisinfoLab confirms that on 25 May 2021, around 16:00 CEST, EU DisinfoLab received an email allegedly sent by USAID, which has since been identified by several cybersecurity companies as a cyberattack using phishing tactics.

Recommendations on how to incorporate disinformation into the EU’s Cybersecurity Strategy This paper provides feedback from the EU DisinfoLab on the EU’s updated cybersecurity strategy, the Joint Communication on the EU’s Cybersecurity Strategy for the Digital Decade (16 Dec 2020) and is developed based on our experience conducting investigations into sophisticated disinformation campaigns run by state and non-state backed actors, recent publications, and ongoing discussions with public authorities and civil society partners in the European Union (EU), the UK, and the US, on how to counter the evolving threat.

The Digital Services Act (DSA) proposal is a step forward in the EU’s approach to creating a safer online space. The harmonisation of regulatory oversight and introduction of due diligence obligations for online platforms will create a stronger incentive structure for companies to tackle illegal and harmful content.

The EU DisinfoLab sees the Code of Practice as a necessary, but transitional co-regulatory tool, capable of bridging the gap left between the current absence of EU-wide rules on disinformation and the eventual enforcement of the Digital Services Act in 2023/2024.