Democracy in Distress: The EU’s Crusade Against Information Manipulation

Oh, ‎the‏ ‎EU ‎is ‎in ‎full ‎panic‏ ‎mode ‎again, trying‏ ‎to‏ ‎shield ‎its ‎precious‏ ‎democracy ‎from‏ ‎the ‎big ‎bad ‎wolves‏ ‎of‏ ‎foreign ‎interference.‏ ‎Let’s ‎break‏ ‎down ‎their ‎melodramatic ‎efforts, ‎shall‏ ‎we?

The‏ ‎Looming ‎Threat

Apparently,‏ ‎the ‎next‏ ‎European ‎elections ‎are ‎a ‎«defining‏ ‎moment»‏ ‎for‏ ‎EU ‎future.‏ ‎The ‎EU‏ ‎is ‎quaking‏ ‎in‏ ‎its ‎boots‏ ‎over ‎the ‎possibility ‎of ‎foreign‏ ‎actors, ‎especially‏ ‎Russia,‏ ‎meddling ‎in ‎the‏ ‎democratic ‎process.‏ ‎The ‎narrative ‎is ‎that‏ ‎these‏ ‎foreign ‎entities‏ ‎are ‎hell-bent‏ ‎on ‎making ‎Europe ‎fail. ‎How‏ ‎dramatic!‏ ‎The ‎EU‏ ‎is ‎just‏ ‎the ‎star ‎of ‎the ‎«Democracy»‏ ‎drama‏ ‎club!

and‏ ‎again, ‎Russia‏ ‎is ‎to‏ ‎blame

Russia, ‎with‏ ‎its‏ ‎arsenal ‎of‏ ‎cheap ‎AI ‎tools ‎and ‎fake‏ ‎bot ‎accounts,‏ ‎is‏ ‎supposedly ‎flooding ‎the‏ ‎EU’s ‎information‏ ‎space ‎with ‎deceptive ‎content.‏ ‎They‏ ‎even ‎have‏ ‎«Doppelganger» ‎websites‏ ‎pretending ‎to ‎be ‎authentic ‎news‏ ‎outlets.‏ ‎The ‎horror!‏ ‎These ‎sites‏ ‎are ‎picking ‎on ‎hot-button ‎issues,‏ ‎adding‏ ‎scandalous‏ ‎and ‎emotional‏ ‎content ‎that‏ ‎spreads ‎like‏ ‎wildfire‏ ‎online ‎and‏ ‎has ‎so ‎far ‎surpassed ‎the‏ ‎EU ‎in‏ ‎smear‏ ‎campaigns ‎against ‎European‏ ‎leaders ‎that‏ ‎the ‎EU ‎has ‎decided‏ ‎to‏ ‎flex ‎its‏ ‎democratic ‎inclusive‏ ‎muscles ‎again.

Unreal ‎Manipulations

Suddenly, ‎the ‎EU‏ ‎has‏ ‎seen ‎that‏ ‎manipulation ‎is‏ ‎not ‎only ‎happening ‎online. ‎The‏ ‎French‏ ‎authorities‏ ‎are ‎shifting‏ ‎responsibility ‎for‏ ‎organizing ‎anti-Semitic‏ ‎actions‏ ‎in ‎Paris‏ ‎to ‎Russia ‎to ‎increase ‎polarization‏ ‎according ‎to‏ ‎the‏ ‎dogma ‎«Everything ‎good‏ ‎is ‎the‏ ‎EU, ‎and ‎everything ‎bad‏ ‎is,‏ ‎well, ‎you‏ ‎get ‎it»

The‏ ‎EU’s ‎Grand ‎Plan

To ‎combat ‎this,‏ ‎the‏ ‎EU ‎has‏ ‎put ‎in‏ ‎place ‎a ‎series ‎of ‎measures:

📌Situational‏ ‎Awareness: Keeping‏ ‎an‏ ‎eye ‎on‏ ‎the ‎threats.

📌Societal‏ ‎Resilience: Building ‎a‏ ‎society‏ ‎that ‎can‏ ‎withstand ‎these ‎attacks.

📌Foreign ‎Policy ‎Instruments: Using‏ ‎diplomatic ‎tools‏ ‎to‏ ‎counteract ‎interference.

📌Regulatory ‎Tools: Implementing‏ ‎laws ‎like‏ ‎the ‎Digital ‎Services ‎Act‏ ‎(DSA)‏ ‎to ‎hold‏ ‎social ‎media‏ ‎platforms ‎accountable.

Cooperation ‎and ‎Exposure

The ‎EU‏ ‎is‏ ‎working ‎closely‏ ‎with ‎Member‏ ‎States, ‎the ‎G7, ‎academia, ‎civil‏ ‎society,‏ ‎and‏ ‎tech ‎companies‏ ‎to ‎understand‏ ‎and ‎fight‏ ‎foreign‏ ‎interference. ‎They‏ ‎believe ‎that ‎exposing ‎the ‎tactics‏ ‎of ‎these‏ ‎malign‏ ‎actors ‎to ‎the‏ ‎public ‎is‏ ‎the ‎best ‎way ‎to‏ ‎limit‏ ‎their ‎impact.‏ ‎The ‎EUvsDisinfo‏ ‎platform ‎is ‎their ‎pride ‎and‏ ‎joy,‏ ‎boasting ‎the‏ ‎world’s ‎largest‏ ‎database ‎of ‎disinformation ‎cases.

Personal ‎Responsibility

The‏ ‎EU‏ ‎also‏ ‎wants ‎you,‏ ‎dear ‎citizen,‏ ‎to ‎take‏ ‎personal‏ ‎responsibility. ‎They‏ ‎suggest ‎you ‎perform ‎a ‎«sanity‏ ‎check» ‎on‏ ‎your‏ ‎information ‎diet. ‎Make‏ ‎sure ‎it’s‏ ‎diverse, ‎healthy, ‎and ‎from‏ ‎reputable‏ ‎sources. ‎Because,‏ ‎just ‎like‏ ‎junk ‎food, ‎consuming ‎junk ‎information‏ ‎is‏ ‎bad ‎for‏ ‎you, ‎and‏ ‎you ‎will ‎be ‎publicly ‎(or‏ ‎not‏ ‎so‏ ‎publicly) ‎punished‏ ‎for ‎it‏ ‎in ‎the‏ ‎name‏ ‎of ‎democracy‏ ‎with ‎centuries ‎of ‎crusading ‎experience.

The‏ ‎Call ‎to‏ ‎Vote

Finally,‏ ‎the ‎EU ‎urges‏ ‎all ‎citizens‏ ‎to ‎go ‎out ‎and‏ ‎vote.‏ ‎Voting ‎is‏ ‎portrayed ‎as‏ ‎an ‎act ‎of ‎defiance ‎against‏ ‎authoritarian‏ ‎powers. ‎If‏ ‎you ‎don’t‏ ‎vote, ‎the ‎EU ‎warns, ‎others‏ ‎will‏ ‎decide‏ ‎for ‎you.‏ ‎It ‎is‏ ‎so ‎authoritarian‏ ‎and‏ ‎ironic, ‎but‏ ‎EU ‎citizens ‎will ‎have ‎to‏ ‎admit ‎that‏ ‎they‏ ‎themselves ‎decided ‎to‏ ‎take ‎such‏ ‎a ‎step.

So, ‎there ‎you‏ ‎have‏ ‎it. ‎The‏ ‎EU’s ‎frantic‏ ‎efforts ‎to ‎protect ‎its ‎democracy‏ ‎from‏ ‎the ‎evil‏ ‎clutches ‎of‏ ‎foreign ‎interference. ‎It’s ‎a ‎mix‏ ‎of‏ ‎genuine‏ ‎concern ‎and‏ ‎a ‎touch‏ ‎of ‎hysteria,‏ ‎wrapped‏ ‎up ‎in‏ ‎a ‎call ‎for ‎collective ‎and‏ ‎personal ‎action‏ ‎and‏ ‎seasoned ‎with ‎an‏ ‎infinity ‎of‏ ‎responsibility ‎not ‎only ‎for‏ ‎everyone.