Dear readers,

This week, we are back with a new edition of our newsletter.

First, preparations for our annual conference are in full swing. This year, Disinfo2026 will take place on 7–8 October in Vilnius. We have received over 360 session proposals and are finalising the first elements of the programme. Thank you for your patience – we hope to announce our first speakers very soon.

In the meantime, don’t forget that the early bird rate is available until 1 June. We are expecting around 650 attendees, and demand is already very high, so we encourage you to register without delay.

While we cannot yet reveal much about the programme, we are of course closely monitoring recent developments – including the Doppelganger operation, where several individuals in the Netherlands were arrested for acting as intermediaries. This is a direct consequence of the work we published last year on information manipulation sets (IMS), which helped identify those intermediaries and enabled accountability measures to be taken against them.

We are also tracking new information on the architecture of SDA, hybrid activities carried out in France, and developments in Armenia. In France, several op-eds calling for a stronger democratic shield have recently been published – and it is clear that discussions around the EU budget will gain even greater momentum in the weeks ahead.

Finally, the European Commission has at long last published its decision regarding the sanction against X – and it is well worth taking the time to examine it carefully. Of particular interest is the comparison between what the Commission has publicly released and what was leaked by the US administration last year. Several pieces of information are now public, notably regarding the scope of research requests that were refused by the platform. We encourage readers to consult the published decision directly.

All of these topics will be addressed at the conference, where we will also focus on concrete solutions.

EU Member States Responses

Across Europe, pressure is mounting on platforms from multiple directions at once. In France, lawmakers are calling on the European Commission to take a more assertive stance on Digital Services Act (DSA) enforcement, arguing that NGOs and national courts have been doing the heavy lifting while the Commission holds back under American political pressure. Adding a systemic dimension, the Dutch media regulator has published a report warning that recommendation algorithms pose a genuine risk to democracy through polarisation and politically motivated manipulation, calling for structural changes in how platforms are designed and governed.

At the same time, investigations across the EU continue to expose how foreign interference operations are taking root within member states’ own digital infrastructure. Dutch authorities have arrested two IT entrepreneurs suspected of supporting Russian hybrid operations, with investigations revealing how Dutch-based companies allegedly helped pro-Russian hackers route malicious traffic through European servers, exposing the extent to which critical digital infrastructure within the EU can be exploited for cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns.

On the domestic political front, French prosecutors have requested a trial for former MP Jean-Christophe Lagarde over the publication of alleged false information about a political rival in Le Point ahead of the 2022 elections, a reminder that disinformation can also function as a tool of domestic political manipulation.

EU Initiatives

The European Commission is moving on several fronts to rein in harmful platform practices. A newly announced Digital Fairness Act would directly target manipulative design features such as endless scrolling and harmful algorithmic systems, and may introduce an EU-wide minimum age for social media use, a proposal European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, suggested could arrive as early as this summer.

On the data access front, DSA Article 40 establishes a vetted researcher access framework for non-public data from Very Large Online Platforms, offering new tools for systemic risk research, though the application process remains complex. 

More broadly, EU institutions are also grappling with questions about their own communication strategies, amid growing reliance on influencers and spectacle-driven messaging, and the tensions this creates around authenticity and platform dependence. Meanwhile, with the US imposing visa sanctions on foreign officials, Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera is using the moment to reinforce calls for European digital sovereignty. 

The EU is also expanding international cooperation on platform governance, including through a new EU–Japan arrangement supporting coordination on online platform regulation and DSA-related enforcement practices.

Platform Governance and Systemic Risks

Recent investigations, lawsuits and consumer complaints across Europe are intensifying scrutiny of how major platforms manage systemic risks, particularly around child safety, harmful content and platform design. 

Troubling investigations uncovered networks allegedly using TikTok comment sections and evolving coded language to facilitate the circulation of child sexual abuse material while evading moderation systems. In Italy, parents have launched a class action against Meta and TikTok over addictive platform design targeting minors, arguing that recommendation algorithms and endless scrolling contribute to psychological harm and compulsive use. At the same time, coordinated consumer organisations have filed DSA complaints against Meta, TikTok and Google over their alleged failure to adequately remove fraudulent financial advertising from their platforms.

AI Disinfo Watch

Recent reporting points to growing concerns over the safeguards and governance of AI systems. Despite years of investment in AI safety, major models such as ChatGPT and Claude remain vulnerable to relatively simple “jailbreak” techniques. At the same time, researchers and policymakers warn that current AI policy may still fall short, including transparency measures under the forthcoming EU AI Act labelling requirements and platform policies on AI-generated political content during elections. A further risk for which societies remain underprepared is the growing role of AI-driven advertising systems, which can amplify misinformation online at scale.

Against this backdrop, the European Union is seeking to maintain its influence over AI governance, including by continuing to pressure Anthropic over access to its powerful “superhacking” AI model, Mythos, following reports that the system was accessed without authorisation shortly after launch.

In an already tangible development, the risks of AI are affecting journalism directly. Synthetic journalism networks and AI-generated reporter identities linked to crypto-promotion schemes are proliferating, prompting newsrooms to tighten restrictions on the use of generative AI.

Explore more in our recently updated AI Disinfo Hub, where we gather the latest research, tools, and analysis on AI-driven disinformation.

Civil Society, Media and Democratic Resilience

Democratic resilience increasingly depends on the ability of journalists, researchers, civil society organisations and alternative digital spaces to withstand political, economic and technological pressure.

In Europe, a new report warns that efforts to strengthen democratic resilience against disinformation and foreign interference remain underfunded, while growing dissatisfaction with dominant platforms such as X is helping smaller European social media alternatives gain visibility among users seeking more decentralised and privacy-focused online spaces.

At the same time, investigative journalists and researchers continue to face mounting pressure internationally. Reporters investigating Chinese influence operations describe intimidation tactics ranging from fake journalists to cyber espionage, while recent US measures linked to alleged “misinformation” activities have raised broader concerns about free expression, academic freedom and political pressure on journalists and researchers. A US federal judge also temporarily suspended sanctions imposed by the Trump administration against UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese after she criticised US policy on Gaza and supported calls for ICC arrest warrants against Israeli officials.

Foreign Interference and Hybrid Operations

This fortnight brings a new wave of developments pointing to the scale and sophistication of Russian hybrid operations targeting democratic societies.

Leaked documents revealed Russian “cognitive strike” operations aimed at manipulating European public opinion through coordinated influence tactics. At the political level, Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers jointly condemned what they described as a Russian disinformation campaign surrounding alleged airspace violations in the region, while new analysis warns that the South Caucasus is increasingly becoming a testing ground for foreign interference operations targeting democratic institutions and public trust. Separate reporting further accused Russian actors of artificially inflating user figures for the national “super-app” MAX as part of broader legitimacy-building and influence efforts.

Beyond the Russian context, Citizen Lab documented Chinese transnational repression campaigns using fabricated personas and harassment tactics against critics abroad.

Health Disinformation

Across social media platforms, conspiracy theories linked to both hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks have spread rapidly online, often driven by anti-vaccine and conspiracy-linked communities that gained visibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. Narratives portraying hantavirus as a “Covid 2.0” scenario, a bioweapon or a side effect of Pfizer vaccines have circulated widely, while concerns are also growing over weakened public health communication capacity in the United States.

In France alone, more than 5,000 pieces of content about hantavirus appeared online within 48 hours of a cruise ship outbreak, with many of the most-shared posts targeting the WHO, Bill Gates and pharmaceutical companies. 

Fact-checkers and researchers warn that these narratives closely mirror the patterns observed during COVID-19, highlighting how rapidly online disinformation networks adapt to new health crises. This is precisely the dynamic our own 2022 publication Monkeypox versus COVID-19 set out to map, and the current moment suggests that framework remains as relevant as ever.

Brussels corner 

The disinformation angle hiding inside the SIM card debate. On 11 April 2026, a coalition of MEPs from Renew, the EPP, and the ECR asked the European Commission to harmonise its policies related to SIM registration within the EU. The link to disinformation is rarely discussed but remains direct: fake engagement campaigns often rely on dormant accounts, which are verified through phone numbers. Anonymous prepaid SIM cards are frequently resold across Europe by criminal networks, such as the one dismantled by Europol in Latvia last October, making large-scale disinformation campaigns cheaper and easier to operate. Currently, only 19 European countries require SIM registration. 

Roundtable on data access for vetted researchers. On 19 May 2026, the European Commission and the Digital Services Coordinators held discussions with major online platforms and search engines to launch the first applications for accessing relevant data according to the provisions of the Digital Services Act. 49 requests were made. They included requests related to illegal content, ad transparency, and AI-related functionalities. All the applications are currently undergoing review, while the coordinators highlighted that they have not yet finished creating guidelines that would allow researchers to make applications. Major online platforms shared information about the status of the work they are conducting, such as preparing their data catalogues. The Commission claims it will strictly ensure compliance with this obligation, referencing ongoing proceedings and the commitment of AliExpress, as well as the recently imposed fine of €120 million on X. For now, the framework is in place, but the progress towards results is slow.

Explore the full Brussels Corner on our website.

📚 Recommended pick

This week, Lukas Ameel, intern at EU DisinfoLab, recommends taking a look at the “Check” section on VRT NWS – the news service of the Flemish public broadcaster.

The volume of disinformation circulating on social media continues to grow, while increasingly accessible AI tools now allow users to manipulate images, fabricate videos, or generate fake articles in just a few clicks. Countering this trend has never been more urgent. But it is encouraging to see that VRT NWS, unlike many other prominent international news services, is actively investing in fact-checking and disinformation reporting.

VRT NWS has created a dedicated “Check” section alongside its standard topic categories. It investigates and debunks widely shared misleading claims across topics ranging from the Middle East and the United States to health, the war in Ukraine, and Belgian news and events. The section also highlights videos that appear fabricated but turn out to be genuine, and includes practical tips on how to spot disinformation. Each case is accompanied by a clear explanation of the verification process used.

This is a step in the right direction: one that deserves to be celebrated and encouraged. We call on other national and regional news services to take note and follow suit.

💡 Tip of the week

This week’s tip comes from Craig Silverman at The Indicator, who explores Google’s new Skills in Chrome. 

This feature allows users to save reusable prompts and run them directly in the browser via the Gemini tab. Silverman presents three ready-to-use Skills for OSINT work: analysing social media profiles, extracting named entities and contact details from webpages, and assessing images for potential AI-generation signals. 

These tools can serve as lightweight workflow shortcuts, helping investigators structure information, speed up repetitive tasks, and surface leads that may warrant further analysis.

🤝 Community meetups

Last week, our Brussels community gathered to catch up with others working on disinformation and related issues before attending the Brussels Shakespeare Society’s production of ‘Antony and Cleopatra’, a contemporary adaptation touching on themes of propaganda, power, and political manipulation.

Thanks to everyone who joined us – it was again a great opportunity for thoughtful conversations, new connections, and an enjoyable evening together.

If you’d like to join one of our future meetups in Brussels or elsewhere in Europe, just reply to this email to let us know.

👀 Spotted

Our colleague Raquel Miguel Serrano, Researcher at EU DisinfoLab, contributed to an episode of EU TALK (in Spanish) during her recent trip to Argentina. EU TALK is a series of conversations designed to help audiences understand the EU’s key policies and how they relate to issues relevant to Argentina and the broader region. In this episode, Raquel joined Olivia Sohr from Argentinian fact-checker Chequeado to discuss FIMI and disinformation dynamics and their impact.

🧰 Tools & learning

EU DisinfoLab’s Monkeypox versus COVID-19 analyses how health disinformation narratives from the COVID-19 pandemic resurfaced during the 2022 monkeypox outbreak across Europe. The study highlights how recurring claims around fake cures, vaccine scepticism, conspiracy theories, and institutional distrust are repeatedly recycled across crises, making it a useful framework for understanding how disinformation adapts and scales. With hantavirus-related misinformation now following those same familiar patterns, this 2022 publication feels as relevant as ever.

The Narrative Kill Chain. The Cipher Brief. This podcast episode features former CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation Jennifer Ewbank discussing how AI and algorithmic manipulation are reshaping the information battlefield and enabling the industrialised production of misinformation. The episode also explores how AI-driven detection tools could help identify synthetic media at scale without relying on censorship.

💬 EU DisinfoLab webinars

  • 28 May. David vs Goliath in the DSA era: Lessons from Bits of Freedom’s victory
  • 4 June. Enforce on the DSA enforcers: How can Member States legally push the Commission to act?
  • 18 June. From Botnets to AI Swarms: Coordinated AI Disinformation and the Case for an AI Influence Observatory
  • 25 June. The DSA in Court: What Democracy Reporting International Learnt from Suing X

Missed a session? Watch our past webinars.

🗓️ Events on our radar

  • 27–28 May. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ): two online workshops about climate disinformation
  • 28 May. Online event by Women in AI: Why Diversity is the Future of AI Development? (online)
  • 28 May. Online event by Osavul: The FIMI Frontline in the South Caucasus (online)
  • 1–2 June. Net4Society Matchmaking Event for 2026 Horizon Europe Cluster 2 calls (Paris, in-person)
  • 3 June. Diaspora in Action: Panel discussion – From Meme to Mob (Brussels, in-person)
  • 3 June. Graphika webinar: The Geopolitics of World Cup Boycotts (online)
  • 5–6 June. Layer 8 Conference: Social Engineering and OSINT  (Boston, in-person)
  • 6–7 July. Global Dialogue on AI Governance by UN (Geneva, in-person)
  • 15–18 June. Disinformation Summer Institute 2026 (California, in-person)
  • 17–19 June. GlobalFact 2026. International Fact-Checking Network (Vilnius, in-person)
  • 17–19 June. Democracy Hackathon (Strasbourg, in-person)
  • 18–20 June. Fake News Festival 2026 (Frankfurt, in-person)
  • 23 June. Fight for Us, Not for Them: a public interest vision for EU tech policy event. EDRi (online)
  • 25 June. JRC DISINFO Workshop: Save the date and stay tuned for more info! (Brussels & online)
  • 29 June. EDMO BELUX Lunch Lecture: Is the Internet compatible with democracy? (online)
  • 1–5 July. Educational programme hosted by the New Eurasian Strategies Centre – Russia in Focus: Policy research intensive (Berlin, in-person)
  • 2 July. Digital futures: Centre for Digital Trust and Society Forum 2026 (Manchester, in-person)
  • 7–8 September. Countering Disinformation, Raising Democratic Resilience. EDMO BELUX 2.0 (Brussels, in-person)
  • 15–18 September. CIMCYC International Doctoral Summer School (Granada, in-person)
  • 6–8 October. #Disinfo2026. EU DisinfoLab (Vilnius, in-person)
  • 14–16 October. GCJT & iMEdD’s Ideas Zone European Journalist Retreat on Trauma, Resilience and Ethical Reporting (Laconia, in-person)

🤝 Jobs & opportunities

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