Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the heads of government of several other European countries have issued a joint call to the leaders of the world’s largest tech companies to take stronger action against the spread of disinformation.
In the open letter, they highlighted the importance of combating this “growing threat” and urged the companies to do their part in combatting it. They also noted the need for a global effort to counter the spread of disinformation and misinformation.
Along with Morawiecki, the letter was signed by the prime minister of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
“Tech platforms like yours have become virtual battlegrounds and hostile foreign powers are using them to spread false narratives that contradict reporting from fact-based news outlets. Disinformation is one of their most important and far-reaching weapons. It creates and spreads false narratives to strategically advance malign goals,”
the prime ministers wrote.
They pointed out that since Russia invaded Ukraine, Moldova has been at the forefront of an information war.
According to the politicians, Moldova has been a major target in the information battle since Russia’s invaded Ukraine.
“However, all our countries are under attack, too, because while direct targets differ, the ultimate goals of information warfare are universal,”
they wrote.
“Foreign information manipulation and interference, including disinformation, is being deployed to destabilise our countries, weaken our democracies, to derail Moldova’s and Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and to weaken our support to Ukraine amid Russia’s war of aggression,”
they continued.
Experts are calling on Big Tech companies, including Facebook, to be alert and not allow themselves to be manipulated to help achieve certain objectives.
“They should take steps to ensure that their platforms are not being used to spread propaganda or disinformation that promotes war, justifies war crimes, crimes against humanity or other forms of violence,”
they went on to say.
According to the leaders, “algorithmic designs should prioritise accuracy and truthfulness over engagement when promoting content.”
They also advocated more staff and financial resources be assigned to content moderation, “particularly in the complex field of hate speech, where automated algorithms may not suffice and human review is crucial.”
“We urge you to join forces with democratic governments and civil society and work together to protect the integrity of information and ensure the security of our societies,”
the prime ministers concluded.
Read the whole letter here ⤵️