A new report has revealed that a coordinated Russian disinformation campaign is still actively spreading false information on social media platforms X and Meta across EU countries. The Counter Disinformation Network found over 1,300 pro-Russian posts from June 4 to 28, resembling the Russian Doppelganger campaign. These posts targeted various European languages and focused on divisive domestic issues, criticism of government support for Ukraine, and undermining Western alliances like NATO and the EU.
The report also highlighted how Doppelganger campaigns in Germany, France, and Italy supported far-right political parties or candidates perceived as being positively inclined towards Russia. To promote their content, Doppelganger accounts used ‘spamouflage’ techniques to evade content moderation and boost their reach. Despite efforts to flag the misinformation to X through the Digital Services Act, the report authors found that only one user behind some of the original posts was removed from the platform six weeks later.
The report also identified 98 ads on Facebook that boosted pro-Russian content in France, Germany, Poland, and Italy. However, the authors noted that these ads were from accounts that had already been taken down or were no longer active. The lack of proactive action from the platforms in removing misinformation and disinformation has raised concerns about the effectiveness of their content moderation policies. EU regulators are already investigating Meta and X for disseminating deceptive advertisements and disinformation, highlighting the need for stricter measures to combat the spread of false information online.
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