Disinformation and electoral campaigns

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Corporate Author:

Council of Europe

Publisher:

Council of Europe

Fighting back against fake news - how does it interfere in democratic processes, particulary elections? Since summer 2016, "fake news" has denoted the deliberate, viral spreading of false information on the internet and social media with the intention, for example, of discrediting a political party, tarnishing someone's reputation or casting doubt on scientific truth. This practice, which hinders citizens in making informed decisions, has become very widespread. Its impact is especially significant not only because of how quickly fake news spreads, but also because identifying the authors of such campaigns and digital material is very difficult. This report attempts to provide responses to issues raised by this phenomenon, in particular during electoral campaigns, and offer proposals to shape a legal framework at European level.