Coordinated networks of accounts spreading disinformation "flooded" social networks in France, Germany and Italy on the eve of the elections to the European Parliament.
Points of attention
- Most of the accounts were created after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and promoted shortly before the vote.
- In France, Germany and Italy, a large number of accounts were found spreading disinformation about political parties and topics related to migration and vaccination.
- The accounts explored in Italy were less about the EU election and more about population conflicts over migration and vaccination.
The network of accounts influenced EU elections in Germany, France and Italy
This is stated in a study by Dutch specialists. The message notes:
After an in-depth analysis of disinformation on the platform X in four EU countries, the researchers concluded that many of the accounts had been set up after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but were cranked up in the weeks and days before the vote, with growth in their numbers of followers rocketing.
A specialized consulting company commissioned by the Socialist and Democratic Parties of the Netherlands in the European Parliament made the following conclusions:
The impact of these accounts is increasing at an alarming rate. We can conclude with absolute certainty that a large coordinated network of accounts was influencing the EU elections in Germany, France and Italy.
With the help of special software, it was possible to calculate 2.3 million posts from 468,000 accounts in Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
Of these, 50,000 accounts were identified as spreading misinformation.
In France, it was found that of more than 127,000 posts mentioning Eric Zemmour, the founder of the far-right Reconquista political party, 20% came from disinformation accounts describing the disinformation situation in France.
In Germany, 10% of posts came from disinformation accounts about Alternative for Germany (Alternative for Germany). The situation with accounts in Italy is characterized as follows: ". . .accounts investigated in Italy were less related to the EU elections and more related to controversies about migration and vaccination."
According to Trollrensics co-founder Richard Odekerken, the accounts were "intensely interconnected" and probably controlled by humans, not artificial intelligence.
Also, a report called "Investigation into EU Elections", mentioned by The Guardian, states the following:
The scale of the operation suggests that it [the disinformation network] necessitates significant human resources and time.
When asked if he saw a causal link between the accounts and the EU election results, Dutch MEP Tejs Roiten said his research made him understand that Russia's first aim was to sow doubts and discredit the authorities in the West, which is part of the narrative Russia promotes.
EU Parliament will continue to support Ukraine in the new composition — Metsola
The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, expressed her optimism in further support for Ukraine and in supporting the EU enlargement policy.
The new composition of the European Parliament, formed as a result of the elections held a few weeks ago, will maintain consistency in its support for Ukraine and the EU enlargement policy. The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, stated this at a press conference in Brussels.
This was an answer to the question of whether the new parliament, in which the presence of right-wing forces has noticeably increased, will continue to support Ukraine's struggle against the aggression of the Russian Federation and the reform of the EU itself in the process of its expansion.
According to Metsola, the security agreements signed today, together with the agreement at the level of EU leaders on the procedure for using the profits from frozen Russian assets in the interests of the defence of Ukraine, the adoption of the 14th package of EU sanctions against Russia, the start of negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova on joining the EU, are evidence of unwavering the European Union's support for Ukraine and its determination to strengthen common security.
