March, 2018
StopFake wholeheartedly supports the “EU vs Disinfo” initiative as our biggest partner that has been on the forefront of combating disinformation for the last three years. We welcomed “EU vs Disinfo” when it was created , for us it was a clear sign that the European Union is serious about combatting disinformation, before such battles became mainstream.
“EU vs Disinfo” has a clear mission, to raise awareness about Russian propaganda in the European Union and collect evidence of fake news and Kremlin narratives disseminated in Europe. The creation of this project was a very important and welcome step by the European community, showing its understanding of how serious the disinformation threat is, and having the interests and security of its citizens in mind.
Since then “EU vs Disinfo” has documented over 3800 disinformation cases and established a strong and respected position in the expert community for itself. In light of this demonstrated progress, the calls to shut down the “EU vs Disinfo” initiative look illogical and self-defeating.
Documenting and exposing propaganda efforts are important aspect of raising awareness among people who are exposed to it. This also has a positive influence on the overall information security in the member states. Anti-propaganda efforts do not limit freedom of speech. On the contrary, such endeavors help to make the information spaces of our countries more trustworthy, secure and professional.
StopFake has warmly welcomed the creation of the East StratCom Task Force and the “EU vs Disinfo” project and continue strongly supporting their work. We are calling on all concerned parties to keep the best interest of your citizens in mind and not deprive them of the right to know that they are being exposed to Russian disinformation and propaganda.
