{"id":644091,"date":"2019-06-23T08:30:09","date_gmt":"2019-06-23T08:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"
\"Russia-linked<\/p>\n
\n
\"Russia-linked<\/div>\n

Russia-linked sources are using social media in an attempt to influence elections in the European Union, according to a new report on disinformation released today by the European Commission, just one month after parliamentary elections in the union.<\/p>\n

The report, an update on a continuing plan to battle disinformation, said some progress had been made in deterring malicious campaigns. Officials said plans to tackle disinformation campaigns through a task force had shown progress, and that work with tech companies had also stemmed the tide of false information.<\/p>\n

The report said it could not \u201cidentify a distinct cross-border\u201d attempt to specifically target European elections. But, the report also found, \u201cevidence collected revealed a continued and sustained disinformation activity by Russian sources aiming to suppress turnout and influence voter preferences.\u201d The activity included challenging the EU\u2019s \u201cdemocratic legitimacy\u201d and exploiting controversial topics like immigration, with actors using images like the Notre Dame Cathedral fire \u201cto illustrate the alleged decline of Western and Christian values in the EU.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the report, the number of disinformation cases attributed to Russian sources doubled between 2018 and 2019, jumping from about 430 in January 2018 to nearly 1,000 a year later. While Russia was singled out for the efforts, the EU said \u201cother external actors were also involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last month, Europeans voted in EU-wide parliamentary elections, an event that raised concerns about potential foreign influence operations. The report found that the EU had successfully stopped many of those operations. Still, the report cautioned against \u201ccomplacency.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
Get more stories like this on Twitter<\/a><\/i><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n